


The Final Shape

by EmeryldLuk, TheWolfParadox



Series: Chasing Fate [3]
Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Fantasy, Fireteam Calypso, Friendship, Gen, Ghosts, Guardians - Freeform, Hunters, Kings Fall Raid, Lore - Freeform, Oryx Takes a Guardian, Outer Space, Phobos - Freeform, Science Fiction, Taken Guardian, The Deep, Titans, Warlocks, fireteam, teammates, the Chasers, the Dreadnaught, the taken king - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-25
Updated: 2019-05-30
Packaged: 2019-07-17 14:31:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 26
Words: 72,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16097582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmeryldLuk/pseuds/EmeryldLuk, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWolfParadox/pseuds/TheWolfParadox
Summary: The storm, previously on the horizon, has arrived, plunging the system into chaos. The City is in more danger than ever as new enemies arise in the Plaguelands and old ones return from the Deep. Technology running rampant. A father with a score to settle. There is only one solution: divide and conquer. But sometimes even the Sky can fall to the Deep.





	1. Templar

**"If the Vex exist in our future - or in a possible future - should we take this as evidence that their defeat is impractical or unattainable?" - Descendants**

* * *

Harley dodged a blast from a nearby Goblin and shot at the right Oracle before spinning to shoot at the left one. Once both glowing yellow cubes vanished, he dropped his sniper rifle and drew his hand cannon to take out more Vex.

"Snipers!" said Bazzle.

" _I gotcha!"_ Fyr called back.

Harley ducked as the Templar shot at him. The thing was three times the size of a normal Hydra but it could still move with surprising agility. He cursed. "When are we gonna be able to take this guy out?"

" _Depends if more Oracles show up,"_ said Rae. The comms went silent as they all listened. Harley sighed in relief at the lack of chimes.

"Where are the Vex?" asked Bazzle. Harley looked around and saw the Titan was right, the Vex had stopped coming, leaving only a few Goblins and Hobgoblins standing around that were soon taken down by the Chasers. Harley holstered his hand cannon then bent to pick up his sniper, reloading it. He glanced at the Templar, trying to stay out of its line of sight. The massive Hydra would fire at any Guardian it saw.

"How the _hell_ are we gonna defeat _that_?" Kaedro had walked up next to him.

"I'm with Kay on this one," said Rae, "It's not looking any more possible than when we saw it the first time."

Harley turned and discovered that the rest of his team had gathered behind him. "We can do it," he said.

"How?" demanded Kaedro, "The thing's shields are _impenetrable_."

Jade sighed wearily. "He's right... That was why Kabr's fireteam was doomed to fail."

"There is no alternative way to destroy it," said Bazzle, "We must break through those defenses or die."

Rogue nodded. "It'll wait till our attack fails then pick us off one by one," he stated matter-of-factly.

Jade's tone was apologetic. "...Even with twice as many Guardians, we won't stand any more of a chance than the first team did."

"I don't _want_ to disagree with any of you guys, but Jade...you weren't the only one who read up on the Vault of Glass... I must've spent an entire _day_ in that library at one point."

" _He's not wrong,"_ said Prism, " _...I advised him against it."_

Harley sighed. "It doesn't matter…'cause there's one important part of the story you guys are forgetting… Kabr _sacrificed himself_ so that anyone who came after him wouldn't fail as his team did! He used his Light to create the _Aegis_!"

Rogue sounded confused. "What's that?"

"It's a shield... A shield that can punch a hole in the Templar's defenses."

Rae scoffed. "Yeah. That's all well and good, Ace, but in case you haven't noticed, we're a little short on magic shields."

"Yeah," said Kaedro, "We're not even sure if the thing is real. How would we know where to find it?"

There was a moment's silence as Harley considered how to answer. Just then, Fyr's voice piped up from the back of the group. "Is _that_ it?" Harley turned to look. Fyr was pointing down into the pit in front of the Templar. Hovering in the center of the circle was a shape glowing with Light. The front was a small bronze diamond-shaped plate with what resembled a red Vex eye in the middle.

"When did _that_ get here?" asked Kaedro, "...That definitely wasn't there before."

"Well it's here now," said Harley, confidence restored.

"Do we grab it?" asked Rogue, "There's no defenses or nothin'?"

"One way to find out…" Harley dashed out from behind the pillar toward the shield.

"Oh boy," said Rae sarcastically, "Here comes the part where Ace does something stupid."

The Templar screeched and began shooting at him. He dodged the blasts, scooped up the Aegis, and bolted back to his friends. "Nice!" said Fyr.

"Um...where's the Templar?" said Jade.

"It teleported!" warned Bazzle.

The group spun to see the Templar behind them. "Scatter!" yelled Harley. He ran off to his right with Rogue and Jade. Bazzle, Kaedro, Rae, and Fyr all went for the left. Harley heard metallic shrieking echo through the Well.

" _Harpies!"_ yelled Rae.

" _The Templar's shield is still up!"_ yelled Kaedro, " _Ace, you'd better figure out how to work that thing!"_

"Right." Harley frowned as he examined the Aegis. ... _If Kabr made this with his Light, I should be able to activate it with mine…_ It wasn't the greatest idea ever, but he was short on time.

" _Any time this century would be nice!"_ said Rae.

"Yeah yeah!" Feeling like the biggest idiot in existence, he stepped out into the open and aimed the center of the shield at the Templar. Closing his eyes, he drew on the power of the Light within him as though he was preparing to enter a Bladedancer's Trance. The Aegis hummed with energy. _It's working._ He opened his eyes and released the Light. He felt a _thrum_ go through the Aegis as a white glowing projectile was launched toward the Templar. It hit with a loud _bang_ and the Templar's shield vanished. He heard cheers from his friends as they assaulted it with a barrage of rockets and grenades. But all of a sudden, their cries turned to dismay.

"What the hell?!" Harley turned and saw Jade encased in a glowing bubble-like shell.

" _Anyone else just get stuck?"_ asked Kaedro.

" _How do we get out?!"_ said Fyr.

"Shoot it!" said Rogue.

Rae groaned. " _That's your solution for_ everything _!"_

"What? It _works_!" Rogue shot at Jade's bubble with his shotgun. It shattered, letting her go. "Told ya."

"Yep… Shooting it works," she said.

The team went back to shooting the Templar until it's shield came back a few seconds later. "Damn!" Harley was preparing to take down the shield again, when it vanished, appearing right in front of him. "Holy shit!" He scrambled away from it, still clutching the Aegis. Two chimes rang out, signaling the appearance of Oracles. "

 _The Oracles are back!"_ said Rae.

" _Find them!"_ commanded Bazzle, " _Quickly!"_

Harley searched for a few frantic moments around the nearby area before he spotted it. For some reason, this Oracle was red instead of the yellowish-green they'd seen previously. "Found one!" Jade and Rogue converged on him to take it down.

" _Got the other one!"_ said Kaedro. Harley sighed in relief. They'd found out the hard way what would happen if the Oracles weren't destroyed. It had taken both Kaedro and Rae dying to figure it out.

Rogue shot down more Harpies. "Whenever you're ready Ace!" Harley nodded and got into position. With another blast from the Aegis, the Templar's shield was down again. His team damaged it and this time they were ready for the bubbles. Then the Templar teleported to the other side as two more chimes rang out. Harley called out a warning to the others. "Watch for Oracles!" This was met with cursing as they scrambled to find where the Oracles had appeared.

" _Hayden! Get in position!"_ said Bazzle.

"On it." Harley jumped up onto a pillar, allowing him a clear shot at the Templar. Unfortunately, the Templar also had a clear shot at _him_. Shrieking, it turned to face him. Harley looked around, but there was no cover in sight. The Hydra fired, sending a blast directly at his chest. Panicking, he held up the Aegis in front of him to block the projectile. To his surprise, the shield created a bubble around him, protecting him from the Templar's blasts. _That's useful._ "I'm about to lower its shield! ...Get ready!"

 _Blam!_ The shield went down, allowing his friends to damage the Templar. Suddenly Harley found himself contained in one of the huge Vex's bubbles. He smacked it with his shield, breaking the shell. _That_ worked _?!_ The Templar's shield came back up and it vanished, appearing in the middle again. His team took out the Oracles and he moved to a new position, pausing to kill Harpies along the way. He took down the shield again, watching as his friends threw everything they had at the Templar. Fyr summoned his Golden Gun, shooting the Hydra in it's massive eye. Just as he thought it's shield was about to come back, the Templar collapsed, hitting the ground with a _crash_ that shook the whole platform.

Harley moved to join the rest of the team, all of whom were congregating in the middle. As he approached, the Aegis vanished from his arm, leaving him feeling strangely lonely but also slightly relieved. It was kind of a backward thing, to use a piece of another Guardian's Light. After all, he'd used the Light of the Aegis almost as much as his own, relying upon it to defeat the Templar. Their victory over it proved that his faith in Kabr's creation was not misplaced. But although the Templar was dead, he knew that something much worse lay ahead of them in the heart of the Vault itself. He recalled a quote he'd read in the Pahanin Errata, months ago when he'd first met Rae. " _...In the Vault time frays and a needle moves through it. The needle is the will of Atheon. I do not know the name of the shape that comes after the needle."_

He looked around at his companions. They seemed oblivious to the fact that they would soon have to face something much more powerful than the Templar. Only he and Jade hadn't joined in on celebrating the Templar's death. The Warlock stood apart, seemingly watching him. Her helmet concealed her face but he was pretty sure it was as solemn as his own... After all, _she_ had also researched the Vault of Glass and he was willing to bet that she was thinking of the very same thing he was. He looked back toward the others. "Is everyone ready?"

They looked back. "Ready for what?" asked Fyr, "'Cause if you're talking food, I'm _always_ ready!"

Bazzle seemed to be studying him. "I believe Hayden is asking if we are ready to continue." There were many groans and complaints at this.

Finally, Rogue gave a heavy sigh. "Aw hell… Let's just get this over with. Where to?"

"I only found one mention of the way out of the Well," said Harley, "This way." He led his friends through a gap in the wall, following the long path as it sloped downward into deeper darkness. After many dimly lit tunnels and long falls, they emerged into a larger space. Water covered the floor beneath them.

Fyr shivered. "Kinda reminds me of when I was revived…"

"Shh!" Rae hissed, "Do you _want_ to get us all killed?"

Fyr seemed confused. "How can I kill you by just talking?"

"Normally I'd make a joke about your annoying voice, but I'd rather not end up dead, thanks."

"We're in the _Gorgon's Labyrinth_ ," whispered Harley.

Fyr sounded even more confused. "Gorgon? What's a Gorgon?"

"...As far as we can tell, they look like Vex Harpies," said Jade.

Harley nodded. "The thing is, they're apparently extremely hard to kill, so it's better if they never knew we were here."

Rogue groaned. "So now we gotta _sneak_ around?"

"Yeah. That means don't shoot, don't talk, don't run, and don't use any of your abilities...even the special jumps."

"We can't even use our _jumps_?" complained Fyr.

"Doesn't 'labyrinth' mean 'maze'?" said Kaedro, "How the hell are we gonna find our way through a _maze_ without making any sound?"

"Yeah," said Fyr, "We don't even know the way."

Rae sighed. "That's why it's called a _maze_ , stupid."

"There must be a record of the correct path," said Bazzle.

"You don't think any of us _checked_?" said Rae. Bazzle sighed, but he had known Rae for too long to rise to her sarcasm.

"I looked," said Jade.

Rae nodded. "Yeah. Ace looked too. Wanna know what _he_ found?" She looked at Bazzle pointedly. "Nada. Short for 'nada damn thing.'"

Harley was pretty sure she'd made that up and decided to intervene before their bickering drew the Gorgons. "Look...they always tell you to stick to the left when doing a maze, so let's try that first."

"'Cause there aren't any drawbacks to _that_ plan," Kaedro muttered.

Rae nodded. "Preaching to the choir, Kay... Ace, if we die, we're blaming _you_."

"Fine, whatever... Just follow me." Moving cautiously, he stepped out of the water, slipping between two rocks. The space opened up slightly and he looked around. Luckily, there were no Gorgons in sight. Even without looking back, he could tell the others were just behind him. He led them along, following the wall, until he rounded a bend and saw his first Gorgon. The Gorgon indeed looked like a Harpy, though it was white and blue instead of red and bronze. Long waving tentacles protruded from it, moving like snakes. Harley hissed a warning to the others. They stopped moving. No one spoke. Harley felt as though a hand was grabbing his throat, restricting his breathing. The Gorgon did not appear to be looking at them. Even as he watched, it drifted off to the right, passing out of view. He looked back at the others. "Keep going," he whispered.

He moved forward, dodging between a rock and the right wall. He felt along the wall as he went, noticing another tunnel opening. On the other side of the gap was another Gorgon. This one was looking in their direction. _Goddamnit._ Slowly, carefully, Harley peered around into the right tunnel. The Gorgon they'd seen was moving down it, facing away. He looked ahead again and saw the other one turn. _This is our chance._ "On the count of three, we're gonna sprint."

"Are you _crazy_?" hissed Rae.

"Won't running alert the Gorgons?" said Bazzle.

"Well, it's our only chance to make it before the other one comes back around." Harley studied the path ahead of them. "Look, there's a big rock ahead of us... We're gonna jump up so the Gorgons won't see us."

"Fine," grumbled Rogue, "I'd rather kill 'em though."

The other Gorgon was still looking away. " _Now_." Harley ran out, trying to keep as quiet as he could. When he came to the rock, he launched himself as far as he could without using his Hunter jump, then turned to help the others. Once everyone was there, they waited with baited breath as the Gorgon ahead of them went around to the left of their rock.

"It will probably make a loop," whispered Jade.

Harley nodded. "There's another rock ahead. It's not too far."

"Don't tell me..." said Kaedro, "We're gonna jump."

Harley nodded, moving to the edge of the rock. He gathered himself, then crossed the gap, softening his landing so the Gorgons wouldn't hear. He made sure everyone else made it before continuing along the new rock. He saw an even bigger one up ahead. "Ok. We'll have to do this again. Ready?" He took their muffled groaning as assent. Just as he was about to make the leap, a Gorgon crossed below. Harley froze, hoping it wouldn't look up. Fortunately for them, it kept going along the path. He waited a few seconds to make sure it was out of range, then jumped across. Soon, they were all on the other side. Harley looked around, not sure where to go next.

"Wazzat?" asked Fyr.

Jade looked over. "...There's a glow coming from over there." She pointed.

"A glow?" Harley looked over to the right. Sure enough, a soft glow emanated from behind a small boulder. "I'm willing to bet _that's_ our exit." He scanned the area. _Don't see any Gorgons…_ "Ok. Three...two...one... _go."_ He leaped down off of the rock and ran for the light, dodging around the rock in the way. He heard the rushed footsteps of the others behind him. The opening let out into another tunnel. They followed it down and eventually they found themselves standing on a ledge overlooking a huge space. As they looked on, stone platforms blinked into their view, lingering for only a few seconds before blinking out again.

"Well...shit," said Fyr.

"We gotta _jump_ on those?!" said Rogue incredulously.

"Looks like it," said Harley.

Kaedro sighed. "Fantastic."

Harley watched the platforms, trying to get the timing right. " _Don't worry,"_ said Prism, " _I'll count your jump."_ He nodded. "Ok. Everyone, we move on Prism's signal!" Discontented muttering told him they'd heard.

" _Three...two...one...jump!"_ Harley launched himself forward, using his Hunter jumps to get him to the first platform. He heard muffled whooshing as his teammates followed.

" _It's about to disappear,"_ Prism warned, " _Move in three...two...one!"_ They jumped to the next platform. Harley looked around but couldn't see anywhere else to go. " _There's a ledge at 12 o'clock,"_ said Prism, " _About seven meters down."_ Harley peered over the edge. The ledge she'd mentioned couldn't be more than a foot wide.

Rae's voice cut in, sharp with disbelief. " _That's_ where we're _landing_?"

"You have your glide," said Bazzle, "You will be fine."

"...That doesn't make it any better."

"We can't stay here," said Harley, "It's about to vanish... I'll see you down there!" He jumped off, letting himself fall for several seconds before using his Hunter jumps to land on the ledge. Bazzle and Rogue landed a few seconds later, setting down heavily.

Kaedro was next across. "Move down so they have room."

Harley nodded and they all shuffled further along the ledge. Rae and Jade were gliding down toward them, landing gently. Then it was just Fyr. He took a running start, then he was falling toward them. "Use your jump!" yelled Harley. He saw the Hunter jump towards them, but it wasn't far enough. Fyr dropped past them with a shriek.

" _Guardian down!"_ said Spark.

Harley looked around but saw no way to get down. "How are we supposed to get to him?!"

Spark manifested in front of them in expanded form. "I can use the Light to retrieve him."

"I'll do it," said Kaedro.

Harley watched as Spark drew from the other Hunter. Fyr appeared on the ledge next to them. He sat up, looking extremely confused. "What just happened?"

"You missed," said Rae, "Now let's go."

The group continued along the ledge, trying not to look down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, my friends! Welcome to the next part of Chasing Fate! I know this story has been long awaited and honestly, it's proven the most challenging to write by far. I've never had a worse case of writer's block before this, but I managed to get through it. I'd like to give a HUGE shoutout to my beta, EmeryldLuk, for making this mess of a story into something coherent. I don't think I've ever had a rougher first draft.
> 
> A few things before I go: I'm currently beta reading a story by CallOfTheLoneWolf called The Light of the Sword Logic. I highly recommend giving it a read. It can be found on both this site as well as Fanfiction.net
> 
> Also, I've recently made a tumblr upon which I'll be posting random stuff about the characters in this series, as well as some canon characters. Just search up "arcaneglitch" and you'll find me ;)
> 
> Finally, my upload schedule won't be as consistent as usual, so just bear with me through that. Many thanks to everyone who read my oneshots, including my triubute to Cayde: Retrograde. I'll see you in the next chapter!
> 
> \- TheWolfParadox


	2. Time's Conflux

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The storm, previously on the horizon, has arrived, plunging the system into chaos. The City is in more danger than ever as new enemies arise in the Plaguelands and old ones return from the Deep. Technology running rampant. A father with a score to settle. There is only one solution: divide and conquer. But sometimes even the Sky can fall to the Deep.

**"Atheon waits in the Vault of Glass. Just as Atheon sidesteps 'past' and 'future', it is impossible to say whether Atheon created the Vault or the Vault created Atheon. Causal pathways converge on Atheon from every axis in the space-time bulk." - Atheon, Time's Conflux**

* * *

Unsurprisingly, the Hydra was the first thing that Harley noticed. While the chamber they'd entered was fascinating, he knew they hadn't entered the Vault to look at scenery. The rest of the group came to a stop behind him.

"Ah," said Kaedro, "The welcoming committee."

"What the _frick_ is that?!" hissed Fyr.

"That would be a Vex Hydra," said Bazzle.

"What do we do?"

Harley's mouth set in a line. "We kill it."

" _How_?"

"Guns work pretty well," said Rogue, "But somehow I ain't confident that they're gonna cut it."

"Well staring at him's gonna do jack shit," said Rae, "I say we attack."

Harley nodded. "We'll shoot together to maximize damage. Heavy weaponry." There was a myriad of shuffling and faint zaps as the team got out their machine guns and rocket launchers. "On my signal… 3, 2, 1, now!" With that, the silence was split with the explosions of rockets and the rattling bangs of machine guns as they assaulted the Hydra.

"Reload!" yelled Bazzle. They reloaded and prepared to fire again only to have the Hydra vanish.

"What!" exclaimed Kaedro.

"It teleported!" said Jade.

"We have to find it!" said Harley.

"Easier said than done."

Harley turned and saw that several squadrons of Hobgoblins had entered the room. He rolled to the side with a curse and the rest of the Chasers scattered as the Hobgoblins began to shoot. He heard Bazzle's voice echo through the space. "Get to cover and take them out!"

He unslung his sniper rifle and shot down three Vex in quick succession. "Hydra on the right side!" called Kaedro. Harley dropped his sniper and took out his rocket launcher. He and the others managed to hit the Hydra with another volley before it teleported again.

He returned to the rock he'd been hiding behind and shot down more Hobgoblins. They seemed to appear in a never-ending stream. The Hydra was found and lost twice more before they were able to kill it. Harley watched with satisfaction as it exploded, pieces falling with a clatter to the stone floor. He reloaded his rocket launcher before Prism stored it away once more. The others were doing the same, catching their breath as they waited for the next inevitable onslaught.

Rae snorted. "Look Ace, your magic shield is back."

Harley turned and saw she was right. The Aegis hovered in the middle of the floor, waiting for him to pick it up. He took a deep breath and started forward. "Be ready," he said, "Last time I picked this thing up, I seem to remember a whole lot of Vex trying to kill us."

"No different than usual then," said Rogue, "We'll show 'em just like we did last time."

Harley nodded and proceeded to pick up the Aegis. There was a sudden flash of light to one side. He looked over and saw that one of the Vex gates had lit up. The Chasers considered it for a few seconds.

"I think we have to go through," said Jade.

Harley nodded. _That seems logical._ He moved forward but was brought to a halt by a hand on his arm. He looked up and saw it was Kaedro. "Don't do it."

"Kay, man, I'm sorry but I'm pretty sure we have to."

The Exo shook his head. "I've lost one friend to a Vex time gate. I'm not about to lose another. I'm telling you, as soon as you go through that thing, it'll close."

Harley shook his head. "There's gotta be some way to keep it open."

"Yeah!" said Fyr, "What about one of those plate thingies? Like how we opened the Vault?"

"Anyone see one of those?"

"Yes."

Harley hadn't expected an answer. "Bazzle?"

"There is one Vex plate near each gate."

"That means someone's gonna have to stand on it and keep the gate open."

The Titan nodded. "I will do it."

"Ok. Problem solved then." He turned back to the gate.

"I'm coming with you."

"What?"

"I said I'm coming," Kaedro repeated.

"Vex inbound!" called Rogue, turning to shoot.

"We don't have time for this," said Harley.

"Yeah. That's why I'm coming with you. Look, one of my biggest regrets was not going through that gate after my friend. I'm not about to make the same mistake twice."

Harley sighed, relenting. "Fine. Let's go." Together, the two Hunters stepped through the gate. Harley blinked in shock. The place looked almost the same as the one they'd just left except this one looked reddish and reminded Harley a bit of Mars.

Next to him, Kaedro was experiencing the same bewilderment. "What the hell…?"

Then a voice spoke up behind them. "I think we're in the past."

Harley and Kaedro whirled to find Jade standing in front of the portal. "What are _you_ doing here?" said Harley.

"I thought you might want someone else with you. Extra backup. Besides, Rae-" she cut herself off.

"'Rae' what?" asked Kaedro.

"...Rae said that it was a good idea to have a Warlock along."

Kaedro shook his head. "What were her _exact_ words?"

Jade sighed. "...'Those imbeciles are gonna get themselves killed. You'd better follow them.'"

Kaedro nodded. "That's more like it."

Suddenly, lasers whizzed past their heads. Harley turned. "Guys! There's Vex!" He looked past them. "Aaaaand there's another Hydra… Wonderful."

"You take care of the Minotaurs and stuff," said Kaedro, "We'll get the Hydra."

Harley nodded and moved to engage the Vex, using the Aegis to kill them. Distantly, he was aware of Jade and Kaedro shooting at the Hydra. He both heard and felt the crash as it was brought down. He finished killing the last Minotaurs and saw Kaedro pick up a second Aegis. "What?"

Kaedro looked over. "What?"

"Huh?"

"Why'd you say 'what'?"

"What?"

"Yeah."

" _What_?"

"What?"

Harley was getting exasperated. "I asked you 'what'?"

"I know. Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why did you ask me 'what'?"

Harley frowned as he tried to remember what had prompted him to say 'what' in the first place. "Uh, I..."

"What?" asked Kaedro.

"Guys!" yelled Jade, "You're giving me a headache!"

"Sorry," said Harley. His gaze lit on the Aegis once more and suddenly he remembered what had caused all the confusion. "Why is there another Aegis?"

"What?"

"No, that was _my_ 'what'. I was confused 'cause there're two shields."

"Ohhhh. Yeah, no clue."

"I think I might know," said Jade. Both Hunters turned to face her. "Remember how I said this was the past?"

"What?" asked Kaedro. Jade turned to look at him. Judging from the set of her shoulders, she was not amused. "Kidding."

"The Vex can manipulate time, remember? This is the same room we were in, just at a different point in time."

"How do you know it's the past and not the future?" asked Kaedro.

Jade shrugged. "That part was mostly a guess. The point is, when Kabr made the Aegis, he made it a part of the Vault. The reason it works is because it's bound into time itself. It must always exist. I think the Aegis Kaedro has is the one from this point in time and Harley's is from our present."

Kaedro scratched his head. "You lost me."

Harley frowned, nodding. It was kind of making sense to him. _I guess all that research on the Vex and the Vault paid off._

"Hey, shouldn't we be getting back to them?" said Kaedro.

"Yeah. We'd better go." Upon exiting the portal, they found their teammates in the midst of holding off waves of Vex.

"You sure took your time!" said Rae.

"Sorry!" said Harley.

"So what now?" asked Fyr.

"I think we have to go through the other portal." Jade nodded her agreement. The trio crossed to the right-hand portal. "Same thing as last time!" said Harley, "Keep the gate open and keep the Vex off!"

"One of you needs to stay behind," said Bazzle.

"Yeah," said Rae, "We were getting swamped last time."

Kaedro nodded. "I'll stay back. I can use the Aegis to help keep them clear."

"Ok," said Harley. He turned to Jade. "You ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

The second room was different from the first. Although it too appeared to be the same as the one they'd just left, this room was green and leafy, reminding Harley strongly of Venus. Once again, they were welcomed by a hoard of Vex along with a Hydra. Harley cleared the smaller Vex before helping Jade take down the Hydra. Once it was dead, another Aegis appeared.

Jade picked it up. "Amazing," she said, "To think that this is all that remains of Kabr…"

This time, they didn't linger. After they exited the portal, Harley barely had time to come to terms with the abrupt switch in the scenery before Rae was calling out, "Conflux!" He turned in time to see two Minotaurs heading for it. He sprinted over to kill them.

" _Don't let them reach the conflux,"_ said Prism.

"Why?"

" _Because I have a feeling that it would be bad."_

He shrugged. "Whatever you say. Kay! I could use some help over here!"

The Chasers spent the next few minutes keeping the Vex away from the conflux. Finally, it vanished and they seemed to stop coming. Harley yelped in surprise as the Aegis vanished, hearing similar cries from Kaedro and Jade. There was nothing but dead silence for a long moment. Then Harley heard the footsteps of something approaching. Something big. Slowly, reluctantly, he turned to face their next challenge. Standing some distance away was one of the biggest Vex that he'd ever seen. It resembled a Gate Lord, except this one had horns on its head and its plating was glassy and reflective.

"Ohmygodwhatthehellisthat?!" hissed Fyr.

"I'm not sure," said Jade, "But...I think it might- it might be…"

Harley's mouth felt dry and he swallowed a few times before speaking. "Atheon."

Jade nodded. As though Atheon had heard them, he turned and opened fire. The Guardians scattered to the sides to avoid the blasts. Harley opened his mouth to tell them his plan of attack, but before he could, Rae, Fyr, and Kaedro vanished from in front of him.

" _What the shit?!_ " yelled Fyr.

"Korrin! Kaedro! Where are you?" asked Bazzle.

" _What the hell?!_ " said Kaedro, " _We went through the time gate somehow!"_

 _"Grab the Aegis!"_ commanded Rae.

" _Oracles!"_ yelled Fyr.

Rae swore. " _Kay! Take care of those Hobgoblins!"_

_"On it!"_

"Ace we got Harpies!" shouted Rogue.

"Crap!" Harley turned to help the others shoot down Harpies. One flew towards him, moving much faster than normal Harpies tended to. _Bang_!

"Careful," said Rogue, "These suckers explode!"

" _Ace where the hell is the exit portal?!"_ Rae demanded.

"Which side are you on?"

" _How the hell should I know?"_

"What does it look like where you are?"

" _We're in the green room!"_ yelled Kaedro.

Harley ran to the right side to stand on the plate. "Keep those Harpies away from Hayden!" said Bazzle. Harley saw the grid of light slowly build up around him. Finally, it reached the top. He heard yelling as Kaedro, Fyr, and Rae spilled out of the portal.

"Now what?" asked Kaedro.

"Well we're all here," said Harley, "I say let's teach Atheon not to mess with Guardians." There was a chorus of agreement.

"We'll get clearer shots from down there," said Bazzle. He was pointing to a small platform that floated by itself in the center of the room. It had a direct line to Atheon.

"You kidding? We're toast if we go down there!" said Fyr.

"Not quite," said Kaedro, "We still have the Aegis."

Rogue nodded. "Let's do this thing." Moving together, the Chasers jumped down onto the central platform. Kaedro used the Aegis to shield them.

"Hit that bastard with everything you got!" yelled Rouge.

"All I got's my primary and secondary!" said Fyr.

"So does everyone!" said Rae, "Now less talking and more shooting!"

"She's right!" said Harley, "I'm not sure how much longer that shield will last." He was by now well aware that the Aegis needed a period to 'recharge' itself after each major use. Sure enough, the bubble collapsed a few seconds later and they jumped off the platform, back to relative safety.

The cycle soon repeated itself. They couldn't seem to go very long without half the team being teleported to one of the two other rooms. They gathered in the middle for the second time and shot at Aethon again before returning to the main platform once more where they prepared for the next teleport. Suddenly, Harley's vision went white and he braced himself as he was transported. When his vision cleared, he found himself standing in the past or the 'red room' as it had affectionately been dubbed. He looked around and noticed that he was alone. "Guys?"

" _Ace, where the hell did you go?"_ demanded Rae.

"I was teleported! Weren't any of you?"

" _We're all here,"_ said Jade.

"Well, it looks like _I_ landed in the red room."

Jade sighed, the sound crackling as it passed through the comms. " _Sorry, Harley but I think you'll have to take this one by yourself. We can't get to you right now."_

"Great." Harley picked up the Aegis, giving a start of alarm as the first Oracle appeared. Taking out six Oracles with his team was stressful enough. Facing them alone while being shot at by Hobgoblins was something else entirely. After all the Vex were dead, Harley leaned against a rock next to the exit portal, breathing hard. "Alright guys, I'm ready to get outta here." There was no reply. "Guys? You can open the portal now."

He waited but was only greeted with silence. "This really isn't funny guys. Save the practical jokes for when we're back in the Tower."

He was starting to get a tight feeling in his chest. _They would have said something by now._ His gaze strayed to the shield he still bore. _At least the Aegis didn't disappear._ Suddenly he frowned. The Aegis seemed to be moving slightly, almost trembling. He drew it closer and immediately saw the reason for it. It wasn't the Aegis but rather his hands that were shaking. He flexed his fingers in an effort to make it stop. When it persisted, he shook them out a few times. Prism, apparently having noticed his odd behavior, spoke up.

"Harley? Are you ok?"

"Yeah yeah. I'm fine. It's just nerves." He waited for her to say something else. When she didn't, he shrugged and sat down, taking her silence as acceptance. _Why shouldn't she believe me? After all, there's plenty of reasons why I'd be nervous._ Not the least of which was the fact that being stranded in the Vex room was bringing back uncomfortable memories of the period following his revival. Not wanting to linger on those thoughts, he cast around for a different subject. Unfortunately, that was easier said than done. It seemed the more he tried to distract himself, the more the unwanted thoughts cropped up. Visions of swirling sandstorms and red Vex eyes flashed through his mind and for a moment he was lost in the echoes of the past.

Then Prism's voice broke through, calling to him. " _-ley! ...Harley Hayden, you'd better not be ignoring me!"_

Harley shook himself out of his thoughts. "...Sorry Prism."

" _I should think so,"_ said the Ghost, " _Are you sure you're alright? You're acting very strange."_

"Yeah. Just got distracted for a second there. That's all. Any word from the others?"

Prism sighed. " _Nothing yet."_

"...You don't think they're _dead_ , do you?" Before she could reply, he hastened to explain his reasoning. "I mean, we haven't heard from them for a while now and they're stuck out there with Atheon."

Prism started to say something. " _I-"_

Harley rushed ahead, cutting her off. "I have the Aegis too! There's no way they can protect themselves from Atheon if the Aegis is in here! Oh God Prism what if they're dead and it's _my_ fault?!"

" _Calm down... I'm sure it's nothing that drastic."_

Harley shook his head. "I'd never forgive myself if something happened to them."

All of a sudden, Rae's voice came through the comms. " _Ace, you fall asleep in there or what?"_

Harley jerked to his feet. "Rae?!"

" _No, it's the Speaker! Who do you_ think _, numbskull?"_

"What happened? Why couldn't I hear you guys?"

" _Something happened to the comms,"_ said Jade, " _We think it was some sort of Vex interference."_

Harley was so relieved at hearing their voices, he completely forgot to ask why they hadn't opened the portal. But as it turned out, Bazzle answered that for him. " _We attempted to open the time gate, but there were too many Harpies. We had to retreat and take them out from a safe distance."_

Harley nodded before remembering that they couldn't see him. "Ok. Are you opening the portal now?"

" _You betcha,"_ said Kaedro, " _It should be opening right...now!"_

There was a flash of light as the portal opened. Harley sighed in relief as he stepped through the portal. _Never thought I'd miss seeing the Vault of Glass._ "Group up on mid!" yelled Rogue. Harley jumped down onto the small platform, hearing his friends land next to him. No one spoke. Everyone was focusing on wearing down Atheon.

At long last, Atheon staggered and was brought down with a ground-quaking crash. Harley felt the Aegis vanish from his grasp.

"I don't believe it," said Jade.

"He's dead…" said Kaedro.

"Woohoo!" cheered Fyr, "We did it, guys!"

"We did it," said Harley blankly. He couldn't believe what he was saying, what they had done. "We beat the Vault of Glass."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok. It looks like I should be able to stick to my regular schedule for the time being. But don't be surprised if I'm late at some point. Anyway, we finally got through all the Vault of Glass stuff! Feels pretty good. Writing raids is such a headache since there's a lot of stuff that can't carry over to the "real" world.
> 
> Once again, many thanks to my beta, EmeryldLuk, for making this possible. Before I get to the reviews, I'd just like to remind you that my tumblr and Twitter are ArcaneGlitch if you're interested in seeing more frequent updates as well as digital art pieces and (on tumblr) a bunch of posts about the characters in CF.
> 
> If there's enough interest, I can compile the posts into a work on this site and upload it after this story is finished.
> 
> Huge thanks to agent_ontario and Redtail53 for the kudos!
> 
> Chapter 3 is where the rest of the story becomes clear, so I hope y'all are ready ;)
> 
> \- TheWolfParadox


	3. The Split

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The storm, previously on the horizon, has arrived, plunging the system into chaos. The City is in more danger than ever as new enemies arise in the Plaguelands and old ones return from the Deep. Technology running rampant. A father with a score to settle. There is only one solution: divide and conquer. But sometimes even the Sky can fall to the Deep.

**"In the cold abyss of the sword world, King Aurash walked under a cloak of green fire. He walked through the sky and the sky shuddered and froze beneath his feet. He walked until he found Akka, the Worm of Secrets, who was denying a truth until it became a lie." - XXVIII: King of Shapes**

* * *

Harley was in the shower when he heard the knock on his door. "Who is it?" he called.

"It's Jade," came the muffled reply.

"Oh. You can come in! I'm just finishing up!" He turned off the water and grabbed a towel, drying off quickly before wrapping it around his waist. He opened the bathroom door and walked out, unleashing a waft of steam. Jade was waiting by the door, looking at something on the wall. Delta hovered by her shoulder. "Hey Jade." She turned and Harley saw color rise in her face. "Whatcha looking at?"

"Oh, I uh, I was just wondering where that gun came from." She gestured to the opposite wall.

Harley's spirits fell slightly when he saw what she was referring to. "Oh. That. Yeah... That's a Vex gun. A Slap Rifle. I took it from a Vex Goblin when I was on Mercury."

"Oh."

"Yeah. I also have a knife that I made but it's not up." In fact, the knife had remained under his pillow almost every night since his arrival at the Tower. "So what'd you come about?"

"Hm? Oh right. I just finished giving my mission report to the Vanguard."

Harley raised his eyebrows. "Really? How'd it go?"

"They weren't pleased with us breaking the rules but they _did_ say we did a good job." She laughed. "They want me to record our experiences for the Tower Library."

"That sounds like quite an undertaking." Jade and Harley turned and saw that Prism had joined them.

Jade nodded. "I'll most likely be spending the next week in there."

"Still," said Harley, "That's pretty cool… You know, your name would look good on the cover of a book."

"You think so?"

"'Jaedryth Wrythal'? Yeah."

"Oh… You're saying I shouldn't use my nickname?"

"Well, 'Jaedryth' sounds so prestigious. I mean, you wouldn't wanna ruin that."

"'Prestigious' huh? Maybe _you_ should write a book."

"Nah. Who'd wanna read a book with 'Harley Hayden' on the cover? Some people just have names that were meant to be on books."

"I guess so."

There was silence for a few moments. Then Prism broke in. "So what brought you here?"

"Oh! I completely forgot! Right. Ok. So the Vanguard wanted me to tell the rest of the Chasers that we have a meeting with them."

"A meeting with the Vanguard? When?"

"As soon as I get everyone together."

"Crap! I gotta get dressed!" He yanked open a drawer, but misjudged the force and pulled it clean out of the dresser. The corner landed heavily on his foot, causing a burst of white to briefly consume his vision. Harley hissed in pain and, doing his best to ignore Jade's muffled laughter, grabbed underwear, a pair of jeans, and a simple black T-shirt. He turned around and saw that Jade had turned her back to give him privacy. He threw on the clothes and put on the boots that stood next to the door. "Ok. Ready."

Jade turned back around. "Good. Everyone else is waiting in the plaza."

Harley opened the door and gestured for Jade to go ahead of him. She nodded her thanks and walked out. "How'd you get them so fast?" After Prism turned off the lights, Harley stepped out and closed the door, falling into step next to Jade, who shrugged.

"They were all in the dining hall, so it wasn't hard."

"Ah."

As they descended the stairs, the others called greetings before they began to make their way to the Hall of Guardians. "Can you believe this?" said Kaedro, "We're right in the middle of celebrating and suddenly the Vanguard wanna meet with us." He shook his head. "Right when we were about to get to the hard stuff, too."

Harley laughed. "Are you guys drunk?"

"Nah. Just a little buzzed."

"All the better to survive meetin' with the Vanguard," said Rogue.

The group was chuckling when they entered the Vanguard's room. But as Harley scanned the faces of their mentors, he felt his smile drop. The mood in the room was grave. "Hayden," greeted Zavala, "Well done taking on the Vault of Glass."

Harley frowned. Even the Commander's congratulations sounded solemn. "Thanks… What's going on?"

The Titan let out a weary sigh. "At present, a number of things, and all of them troubling. First and foremost... The Queen is dead."

Harley felt like someone had pulled a rug out from under him. "What?!"

"A few days ago, the Awoken fleet was gathered near Saturn," said Ikora, "We remain unsure of the reason but a powerful surge of unknown energy was detected in the region. Reports came in that the entire fleet had been obliterated… Mara Sov was on board her ketch when the blast occurred."

It was as though a cannonball had been dropped on Harley's chest. He had only spoken to the Queen a couple of times and while he wouldn't go so far as to call them friends, she was far from his enemy. Then he remembered something else. "What about her brother?"

"There has been no word from Uldren Sov," said Ikora, "It's unclear whether he was even present at the time."

Harley shook his head. "He was." While he and the Prince were definitely _not_ on the friendliest of terms, he had seen enough to know that Uldren took his loyalty to his sister very seriously. If she had been there, so had he.

"Unfortunately, that is not all," said Zavala, "The Cabal base on the moon Phobos is blasting a signal across all channels. They are not ones to break transmission silence lightly… It could very well be a prelude to a full-scale assault."

"Great," said Kaedro, "Is _that_ all?"

"Nope!" said Cayde, "Care to put the icing on the cake, Zav?" The room's occupants collectively decided to ignore the false cheer in his voice.

Zavala sighed. "The House of Devils has returned to the Cosmodrome and are currently digging into Golden Age research labs across the system. They are shifting massive amounts of resources to an area that has been dark for centuries."

"Even better," said Kaedro.

"What's more, Lord Saladin has left his post at the Iron Banner to take charge of the situation."

"Lord Salad _who_?" said Fyr.

"Lord Saladin is the last of the Iron Lords," said Ikora, "And he's been keeping watch for a very long time."

"Indeed," said Zavala, "Which is why it is concerning that he has left his post. He sent word to me asking for a team of Guardians to investigate an abandoned observatory in the mountains." Harley noticed his friends exchanging confused looks.

"To sum it all up," said Cayde, "The Queen's dead, the Cabal are bein' weird, and the Devils are up to somethin'. Zavala here wants at least one of you to head to Phobos and a few of you to hook up with ol' Salad Bar at Felwinter Peak... 'S up to you to decide who's goin' where."

"To be clear," said Zavala, "Saladin has informed me that this business with the Devils looks to be a long-term mission. Should you choose to go, it is unlikely that you will return to the Tower for quite some time." Harley nodded and saw the others doing the same.

"We know this won't be an easy decision," said Ikora, "However, circumstances dictate that it must be decided quickly."

Zavala nodded. "We expect your departure in no more than three days," he said, "For now, you are dismissed."

Harley walked out of the Hall of Guardians in a state of disbelief. The feeling seemed to be mutual. "We have three _days_ to decide who gets shipped off?" said Kaedro.

Rae shrugged. "You heard the man. I say we pack off all the annoying ones." She eyed Fyr pointedly.

" _Please_ ," said Kaedro, "You'd just make _all_ of us go."

"Fair point. Although… I think I'd let Wrythal stay. You, Fyr, and Ace on the other hand? You're _definitely_ gone."

"I resent that!" said Fyr.

"Good."

"The point remains that we must decide who's leaving," said Bazzle, "I am willing to go but Lord Saladin requested more than one Guardian."

"I'm with ya, Baz," said Rogue, "Always wanted to meet an Iron Lord."

Harley sighed. "I'm gonna stay. I'm the only one here who's met the Queen and I'd like to look into what happened."

"I'm staying too," said Jade, "I have to work on an account of the Vault for the records."

"Well, I guess they won't be needing two Warlocks here," said Rae, "So I'm coming with you, Baz." Rogue fist-bumped her.

"I think I'll be staying too," said Kaedro.

They all turned to look at Fyr. "Damnit! I wanted to meet Lord Saladman!"

"You don't _have_ to stay," said Harley.

"Yes, he does!" Rae shot him a venomous glare. "I won't have you sending Allerton to plague us."

"It would make sense for us to bring a Hunter along," said Bazzle, "I believe _two_ Hunters at the Tower is enough of a burden as it is."

"Fine. But you won't catch me celebrating over it."

"We have had enough excitement for one day," said Bazzle, "We should all get to bed. To those in my group, you have three days to recuperate before we leave."

"At least we have a few days with them," said Prism as Harley followed the others to their quarters.

"Yeah."

"...Is something wrong? No offense, but you seem a little more 'low-energy' than usual."

"Yeah. Just got a headache is all."

"Hm. Well, it _has_ been a pretty intense day."

He nodded in agreement. The truth was, a lot more was bothering him than just a headache. He couldn't shake what had happened to the Queen. _It shouldn't even be affecting me this much._ Still, he felt almost responsible for her fate, despite how much he rationalized that he hadn't even been there at the time. Once the Chasers reached their level, everyone split off to their respective rooms. After closing the door to his quarters, Harley flopped down onto the couch. He sat in silence for a few minutes, all the while aware of his Ghost hovering next to him. "Why don't you power down, Prism? I won't be up for much longer. Just gonna change and stuff then I'll get to bed."

She nodded. "Ok, but before I go, I'd like to know if we'll be flying to Phobos anytime soon to check up on that Cabal situation."

Harley thought it over. The event had slipped his mind in the wake of everything else that had happened. Finally, he nodded. "We'll look into it after they leave. Someone needs to do it."

"Very well. Be sure to rest up then." Harley nodded again. Prism settled herself on the dresser. "I'll see you in the morning, Harley."

"'Night Prism." He watched as the glow in her eye faded and remained seated for a few minutes longer before getting up with a sigh to get showered. The hot water felt nice, but he found it difficult to keep his eyes open. He was only too grateful to tumble into his bed. _It really_ has _been a long day… Sounds like another one tomorrow, too._ The last conscious thought he had was: _It'll feel so good to get a full night's sleep…_

* * *

Harley's eyes flew open to be met with the darkened interior of his room. He sat up, rubbing a hand over his eyes and looked around the room. Streaks of soft white light slipped in through his window and pooled across the floor, granting it a silvery sheen. He blinked at the glowing numbers of his alarm clock. 3:04. He sighed, rubbing his eyes. _This is getting really old._ And he still didn't have an explanation for why it happened. Still, he knew there was no chance of getting back to sleep, so he opted to sit in his bed and wait for morning to arrive. That was how Prism found him when she woke up. "Good morning."

Harley held back a sigh. "Morning Prism." He already knew what her next words would be, as they'd been the same for the past two days.

"So what's on the agenda for today?"

Harley shrugged and gave the same response he'd given the last time. "Didn't plan anything. I guess we'll see what happens."

Prism hummed thoughtfully. "Well, this is the last day before Bazzle's group is supposed to leave. Maybe you could all go to the City."

"Yeah, maybe."

Later that morning, he tracked down Rae to see if she wanted to do anything before she left. She brushed him off, saying that she had to get her gear together in preparation. Bazzle had said much the same thing. However, Fyr and Rouge had been more than happy for an excuse to do something other than pack and after a few minutes' debate, they'd decided to head to a bar in the City.

Both seemed to have had a good time. Harley, on the other hand, hadn't enjoyed himself much. It felt weird to be drinking in the afternoon and even though they were in the City's outskirts, they had still attracted quite a few stares. Rogue and Fyr had been too buzzed to notice, but Harley had felt more than a little uncomfortable. Needless to say, he'd been more than happy to return to the Tower. Still, he much preferred the bar to what he knew awaited him come nightfall. As he got into bed, he wondered what time he'd be woken up.

However, that night turned out to be quite different.

Harley's ears were filled with the distant sound of blaster fire, accompanied by the rumble of explosions. He felt the platform under him tremble from the shock of a particularly close blast. In front of him, a pane of glass was all that protected him from the black vacuum of space. Through it he saw rocks clashing together as ships whirled through them, locked in battle. He watched for a few minutes as blaster fire was exchanged and ships clashed together.

Then something touched on his shoulder and he felt a deep chill settle over him, as though ice was slowly spreading through his veins. He turned and found himself staring into the eyes of the Awoken Queen. He tried to speak, but his lips would not budge. Her eyes burned with an intensity he had never seen before.

"Mara Sov bows to no one." Her words felt as if she were raining physical blows upon him, each one striking like an ice cold hammer.

Suddenly, the wall behind her exploded, unleashing a wave of fire into the ship. It caught on her clothes, her hair, her skin, consuming her until she was a blazing figure of flame with eyes made of ice. Harley felt a scream rise in his throat as he attempted to break free of her hold but he was frozen in place, unable to move or speak as the fire spread from her hand to rush over him. He could do nothing but stand there in agony as she spoke once more, her voice echoing and thrumming in his skull. "The Awoken have played their part." Her voice was filled with a terrible power. "What part will you play?"

Harley's eyes flew open and he leaped up, stumbling away from his bed as his breath rushed in and out. He ran his hands up and down his arms but could detect none of the fire that had been consuming him. He looked wildly around but only saw the interior of his room. His breaths started to come more slowly as he realized that he was not, in fact, burning to death. He briefly considered waking Prism but dismissed the idea. _She shouldn't have to be up because of_ my _bad dream._

Grabbing a jacket from his closet, he quietly eased the door open and stepped out, taking care to close it behind him. He took in the silvery presence of the Moon floating in the night sky and breathed in the cool night air as he put on the jacket. He still felt incredibly on edge. He leaned against the railing, his fingers drumming a patternless staccato against the metal. He felt measurably calmer after a few minutes but he could tell he was still too keyed up to relax. Whenever he thought about attempting to get more sleep, he would remember the burning eyes of Mara Sov. _What part will you play?_ No, sleep was definitely off the table.

He wasn't sure how long he stood out there, but eventually, he began to notice that the Moon sat much lower in the sky. With a sigh, he turned and went back into his room. He shrugged off the jacket, letting it fall to the floor. Then he fell back onto the bed and lay there, staring at the ceiling until the light of dawn began to worm its way into the room. In his peripheral, he saw Prism's eye begin to glow as she rose from the dresser. He sat up and stretched. "Good morning."

"Good morning," his Ghost replied. "Why are you on top of your covers?"

He shrugged. "Must've gotten too hot." He stood up and began to gather his armor from the day before. "Whatever you say. Anyway, it's 6:15 right now so everyone else should be getting up too. Bazzle wanted an early start."

Harley strapped on his boots before fastening his cloak. "Great. I think I'll grab them coffee. Pretty sure there won't be any kind of 'team breakfast' today."

"Correct, assuming they plan to leave when Bazzle wants them to."

Harley opened the door. "I'm sure they will. Bazzle has a certain talent for getting people to stick to a schedule."

As they made their way towards the mess hall, Harley wondered if he should tell Prism about his dream. _On one hand, she_ is _my Ghost, which means she should know about stuff like this. But on the other hand, if I tell her, she'll just start worrying and considering what happened_ last _time she was worried about me… Yeah. I think she can survive without knowing about every little thing that happens to me._

Even so, he couldn't stop his mind from drifting back to the dream. _Mara Sov bows to no one._ _The Awoken have played their part._ Once he was in the mess hall, his brain was kept busy remembering how each member of the Chasers preferred his or her coffee. "I _think_ that's everything."

"You got it right from what I know," said Prism, "But you might want to bring something else for Fyr... You know how he gets."

Harley nodded. "Good idea." He grabbed a blueberry muffin out of the basket for his fellow Hunter. Once everything was ready, he arranged the coffee on a tray, which he held carefully in front of him. It was difficult to keep up the balancing act, but soon enough he was entering the plaza, where the rest of the Chasers stood waiting.

" _There_ you are Ace," said Rae, "And here _we_ were thinking you were being a lazy ass in bed."

"Coffee!" exclaimed Fyr jubilantly.

The Guardians closed in and soon only Harley's coffee was left on the tray. _Thank the Traveler I labeled them._ He grabbed his cup and set the tray off to the side.

"You're a lifesaver, Hayden," said Rogue.

"I agree," said Bazzle, "Especially considering how we'll have to leave without breakfast."

"No _breakfast_?!" Fyr looked horrified. "How can you expect us to _survive_ without the most important meal of the day?!"

"Allerton, _every_ meal is the most important meal of the day for _you_ ," said Rae.

"I have a Guardian's metabolism, Rae. Think alien-slaying comes easy? I need _sustenance_."

Rae rolled her eyes. "Great. Now we're gonna have to sit through Allerton's bitching all the way to Felwinter."

"Don't worry," said Harley, "I got you covered." Withdrawing the muffin from his pocket, he threw it towards Fyr. No regular person would have been able to catch it, but luckily Fyr was a Guardian and a Hunter to boot. His hand whipped out to stop the muffin before it could sail past him and he held it up, examining his prize.

"Sweet! Thanks, man!" He took a huge bite.

"Now that the matter has been resolved, I believe it's high time for us to be going," said Bazzle.

"Yeah," said Kaedro, "Hurry up and get out of here so I can enjoy lazing about the Tower while you do your dangerous world-saving mission."

"Would you like us to bring you back a souvenir?" said Rae condescendingly.

"Yeah, gimme one of those keychains with my name on it." He looked at Jade. "They had those back in the Golden Age, right?"

She nodded. "Yes, though I doubt any survived the Collapse."

"We'd never find one with your name anyway," said Rae, "Besides, you don't have keys."

"Spoilsport."

"Materialist."

"Sway, what is the time?" asked Bazzle.

"It is 6:53."

"Alright, alright," said Kaedro, "We get it. You have to leave now." He hugged Rae. "Have fun. But not _too_ much fun."

"I'll be thinking of you when I'm hanging out with Saladin and you guys're stuck here doing the second-rate stuff."

Just like that, everyone else began saying their goodbyes. Harley shook hands with Bazzle. "I'll see you later."

The Titan nodded. "I trust we won't return to find the Tower in ruins?"

"Nah, I'll make sure Kaedro is supervised." Bazzle chuckled and Harley moved on to Fyr. "Bye."

"Bye Ace! I'll get that Salad guy to autograph something for you."

Harley laughed. "I'm sure he'd love _that_."

"Eh, he probably gets it a lot."

Harley went to shake hands with Rogue, but instead, the Exo pulled him into a bone-crushing hug, slapping him on the back. "Good luck," gasped Harley when he was released.

Rogue scoffed good-naturedly. "It's the other guys that'll be needin' luck."

Finally, it was Rae's turn. Harley liked having his limbs intact and decided not to go for the hug, which only made it more surprising when Rae did. It was a lot like the hug he'd gotten from Rogue, only with less rib-cracking. She pulled away after a couple seconds. "See ya Ace."

"Later, Korrin."

Her lips twitched. "Try not to die."

"I'll do my best."

She nodded and turned to follow the others to the Hangar. Harley gave one last wave as they disappeared through the doorway. Already, a strange feeling of loneliness was overcoming him. He pushed it from his mind and turned to Jade and Kaedro. "So…"

Kaedro sighed. "Guess they're gone."

"Yeah."

"Well, I didn't have any plans for today. Either of you guys doing anything?"

"I'll be in the library for most of the time," said Jade.

"Ah, right. You're going to write a book… Ace?"

"Nothing today, but tomorrow I think I'll fly out to Phobos, see what I can discover about that Cabal signal beaming out."

Kaedro perked up. "Care for some backup?"

Harley nodded. "Sure. I'm gonna head in to see the Vanguard, then we can pick a time to fly out. I'll see you guys later."

"Later."

"Bye, Harley."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that we have the beginning out of the way, we can start getting into the real story. As you can see, this story will, for the most part, follow only half of the Chasers. Something that I mentioned in Darkness Ascending. For anyone upset about the lack of Fyr, Rae, Bazzle, and Rogue in this story, I'm sorry. That's just how things went.  
> To everyone who's recently started this series, welcome, glad to have you. And to all those who have been here since the first story, it's nice to see you around.
> 
> For updates/art/etc, my Twitter is ArcaneGlitch. For random posts about Destiny and my characters, my tumblr blog is Chasing Fate: A Destiny Series
> 
> Next chapter, we'll be heading to Phobos with Harley and Kaedro, but there will be a few noticeable differences in how it plays out ;)
> 
> \- TheWolfParadox


	4. Phobos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The storm, previously on the horizon, has arrived, plunging the system into chaos. The City is in more danger than ever as new enemies arise in the Plaguelands and old ones return from the Deep. Technology running rampant. A father with a score to settle. There is only one solution: divide and conquer. But sometimes even the Sky can fall to the Deep.

**"Auryx the First Navigator set upon his god with his sword and his words, and cut Akka to pieces, and took from those pieces the secret of calling upon the Deep. He wrote the secret on a set of tablets, which he called the Tablets of Ruin. And he wore them about his waist." - XXVIII: King of Shapes**

* * *

Kaedro flew his ship in to follow the Star through a shallow canyon and across a clearing before guiding it down next to a path that wound towards the Cabal base. " _We've just landed on Phobos,"_ said Jyn.

" _Good,"_ said Zavala over the comms, " _I'll be monitoring your feeds. Good luck to you both."_

 _Here's hoping we won't need it_ , thought Kaedro. He blinked as he was transmatted down onto the moon's surface next to Harley and looked around. The place seemed pretty bleak. Gray rocky terrain stretched out for miles. In the distance, Kaedro could see Mars looming large on the horizon.

"Guess we'd better get going," said Harley.

He started walking and Kaedro fell into step next to him, following the path up. As they were rounding a corner, a Cabal Thresher rose on the side, its engines blowing dust every which way. Kaedro froze as its beam rendered both of them in full view. However, the ship merely turned and continued on its way off of the moon.

"That was weird," he remarked, "Not like the Cabal to ignore Guardians like that."

"I'll say," said Harley, "...Let's keep moving."

They continued around the corner and came face to face with a Legionary. It was on the ground, seemingly barely able to crawl. Even as they watched, it collapsed, going still. As Kaedro came down into the base area, he saw the wreckage of burning ships as well as even more taking off.

"Looks like the Cabal are really hightailing it out of here."

He saw another Legionary dying off to the side. Harley followed his gaze and shook his head. "Whatever happened down here, it's nothing good."

Another one ran across their path a few meters ahead. Kaedro shot it down and they headed for the base entrance. As they entered, a second voice came over the comms, instantly recognizable by its grim tones. " _Something has drawn us here...I can feel it."_

"Eris?" Harley sounded surprised. "When did you get back?"

" _I've asked her to monitor the channel,"_ said Zavala.

They passed through a room with large windows that looked out onto the rest of the base. The room beyond was filled with dead Cabal. "I have a really bad feeling about what we're gonna find…" said Kaedro.

In front of the opposite doorway hovered a pulsing white orb that moved erratically, as an insect might. Harley sounded confused. "What the..." He walked closer only for the orb to vanish in a flash with a strange shriek.

" _What the hell was that?"_ wondered Zavala.

"I have no idea," Harley replied. He looked to Kaedro.

"You?" Kaedro shook his head. "Never seen anything like it before." _I think I'd remember._

The hallway beyond also had dead Cabal in it, but that wasn't the strange part. Scattered across the walls, floor, and ceiling were odd patches that shimmered around the edges. Pieces of debris hung suspended between them and as Kaedro looked into them, he could see the star-filled blackness of space.

Eris' voice broke over the comms. " _Fingertips on the surface of my mind!"_

" _Yes,"_ said Zavala, " _Thank you for your input Eris."_

"Are those safe?" asked Harley, "Like, will they kill us?"

Kaedro's optics narrowed as he studied the strange rifts. "No clue... We'll watch our step just to be sure."

They cautiously moved forward into the next room. Directly ahead of them was a large window that looked out into some kind of large shaft. Suddenly there was a screeching scraping sound as a glass-walled box fell in from above, getting stuck on the same level they were on. A Legionary was inside and Kaedro saw it jump up, attempting to clamber out of a door at the top of the box when a large piece of debris fell on it, causing the entire thing to plummet. He rushed forward to look down the shaft, but he was unable to tell how far down it went.

"Jeez…" said Harley.

Kaedro nodded in agreement. They continued around the shaft. At the top of a ramp, he saw a black and white glowing figure get sucked into a rift. "What the hell is going on in this base?" he wondered.

The passageway held more glowing rifts and dead bodies. They made their way past them and into the next room. " _The whispers are louder!"_ said Eris, " _I will endure!"_

Kaedro saw a monitor mounted on one of the walls. "Maybe this can tell us something."

Jyn appeared at his side and moved forward to scan it. "Hmm," she said, "Before the base was attacked, it looks like the Cabal deployed ships to investigate a threat beyond the Reef. Their entire fleet is either in the air or completely destroyed. This base won't last long."

"I love hearing good news," said Kaedro dryly.

The next hallway was lined with even more rifts and debris than before. He saw a Centurion get pulled into a rift in the ceiling. _Holy hell._ Harley slowed down in front of him, maneuvering warily around them. All of a sudden, shadowy figures rushed at them from the end of the hallway.

"Watch out!" Kaedro warned.

Harley took out the first few creatures with ease but more came swarming in behind them. "It's no good!" he yelled over the screeching. "We need to back up!"

Kaedro nodded even though he knew Harley couldn't see him and started edging backward. But the creatures were descending upon them faster than they could retreat. Kaedro saw them clawing at Harley and let out a hiss of frustration at not being able to shoot for fear of hitting his teammate. Harley cursed and went to reload when one of the creatures got in a lucky hit, swiping the hand cannon out of his grasp and lunging at him. Harley leaped back to avoid the blow, landing right on the edge of a rift.

"ACE LOOK OUT!" yelled Kaedro.

Harley's arms flailed in the air as he tried to keep his balance, teetering precariously on the edge. Kaedro saw one of the creatures tensing for another attack and he hurled himself forward with a cry. But there was too much space for him to get through, forcing him to watch helplessly as Harley toppled backward, vanishing into the blackness of the rift.

Kaedro stood there, staring at the empty space where his friend used to be, his outstretched hands frozen in front of him until the screeching of the creatures jolted him back. With a cry of rage, he tore his grenade from his belt and hurled it into their midst before picking off the survivors with his hand cannon. Then the hallway was silent, empty but for him and the shimmering rifts that surrounded him.

He stood there, attempting to process what had just happened when all of a sudden, something flew through the rift and bounced off the ceiling with a _clang_. Kaedro was barely able to catch it before it went through another rift. His optics widened upon seeing what it was. Harley's Ghost, Prism was sitting in the Exo's palm. Her blue eye flickered for a moment before focusing on him.

"Kaedro?"

"Prism?! Where did you go? How the hell did you get back here? Is Ace coming through behind you?"

"I don't know!" the Ghost wailed, "I couldn't make sense of what he was planning! I became corporeal and the next thing I know, he's throwing me back through the rift!"

Prism floated up as Kaedro let out a sigh of relief and bent to study the rift. "Ok. If he threw you through that means he's probably on his way too. He should be here any second."

"He's not coming, Kaedro."

"What?" he whirled to face her, "What do you mean?"

The sides of her shell were drooping sadly. "The last thing I saw before I was sent through was a legion of Hive surrounding us on all sides."

Kaedro's jaw set stubbornly and he picked up his friend's hand cannon. "Then I guess I gotta go in after him."

But before he could take even one step toward the rift, a voice rang out over the comms. " _Stay where you are,"_ said Zavala sharply.

"No way am I staying here when I'm the only one that can help Ace!"

" _That's an order Kaedro. I am sorry for what happened to Hayden but we cannot risk you going after him. Not now."_

"With all due respect _, sir_ , I don't make it a habit to leave team members behind."

" _You are dangerously close to insubordination. There is still an active mission. We need to know what's behind this attack."_

Kaedro glared at the empty air in front of him. " _Kay,"_ said Jyn gently, " _Ace sent Prism through to you. He hasn't given up but we can't help him without knowing more about this new threat."_

Kaedro sighed. "Fine Jyn. For that reason and _that_ reason only… I'll finish the damn mission."

He started forward again, for once grateful that he didn't have tear ducts. He went down a short ramp and came out into a circular chamber just as Eris spoke once more. " _They speak a word, a name... He is here!"_

Kaedro's hand clenched around his gun as a shape took form in the center of the room. It seemed to be the head and shoulders of a massive entity. The face had three glowing eyes and the head was horned. Kaedro swiftly backpedaled away from it. "Stay behind me, Prism."

" **Light!"** The figure spoke without moving its mouth, its voice filling the room. " **Give your will to me!"**

Rifts suddenly appeared in the room, resolving into glowing figures. Kaedro readied his grenade but was forestalled by Jyn. " _You can't fight them now! They might hit Prism! Run!"_

Kaedro nodded and made for the exit on the other side of the room. As he ran, he heard Eris speak. " _You have seen his face... It was his hand that transformed the Cabal."_

" _One_ alien did all _this_?"

" _This mission is scrubbed,"_ said Zavala, the tone of command back in his voice. " _Get to your ship and get out of there!"_

Unquestioningly, Kaedro kept running. The door opened to reveal another one of the creatures. After he killed it, more popped in behind. Luckily, they didn't seem much more difficult than ordinary Cabal. As he pressed onward, he saw more of them fighting several Legionnaires. He took them all out and paused to hack another monitor before continuing forward.

 _"The Cabal sent teams to investigate anomalous energy fluctuations across the base,"_ said Jyn, _"None of the units reported back."_

" _The base is a loss!"_ said Zavala, " _We have reports of these 'Taken' across the system. Go! Get out!"_

Kaedro ran out of a doorway and saw a Cabal ship spiral out of the sky to collide with another section of the base. Black smoke rose from several locations and he could see turrets on the base firing. His ship, the Javelin, zoomed past them and curved off. " _The Javelin is landing across the airfield!"_ said Jyn, " _Keep going!"_

Kaedro shot down more Taken and followed the walkway, which moved along to the left of the door. He stopped at a gap and looked down to the platform below where more Cabal and Taken were fighting. He used his sniper rifle to take them out, then jumped down. A bridge stuck out perpendicular to the way he'd been going but a section was missing in the middle. Two Taken Phalanxes appeared on the other side and Kaedro shot them before making the jump across. The room beyond was filled with even more, but he made it through and onto another bridge that crossed to the left. Upon reaching the other side, he followed the path along to the right, killing Taken as he went.

He saw the Javelin hovering at the end of the way and ran towards it until he was within range of the transmat. Once he was safely inside, he gunned the engines, sending them away from the moon as fast as possible. "We made it out... We're heading back now."

" _Good... It appears we have a much worse problem than we thought."_

* * *

Kaedro stalked into the Vanguard's room and looked around. The Vanguard all seemed more somber than usual. _Good. They should be._

Zavala cleared his throat. "As you saw, the Cabal base on Phobos was under attack by the Taken. We have confirmed that the Awoken discovered that Oryx's Dreadnaught had arrived in Saturn's rings. Its weapon was what took out the fleet, apparently firing only once... This Dreadnaught must not be allowed any closer to Earth. The City must be protected at all costs."

Kaedro shot his Commander a withering glare. While most of the time others had difficulty reading Exos' expressions, Kaedro could tell his message got through. "Frankly sir, I don't give a good goddamn about _how_ this happened. All I need to know is what the hell _you_ guys are planning to do about getting _Ace_ back."

Zavala glared back at him. "Do you not understand the implications of the current situation, _Hunter_? This is _bigger_ than Hayden! This is bigger than your fireteam! If the Taken breach our defenses, the City will be obliterated and the _Traveler_ _itself_ will be in jeopardy!"

Kaedro opened his mouth to retort but stopped when Ikora raised a hand. "We understand that you're upset," she said, "The loss of Harley is hard on all of us... But as callous as it may sound, we have to prioritize and focus on the Taken." The Warlock held Kaedro's gaze until he dropped it, nodding his understanding. Ikora nodded once before continuing. "...Eris has told us that Oryx takes the will from other races... Killing them doesn't solve the problem because Oryx can just take more." She paused to let the information sink in. "Our only option is to find a way past the Dreadnaught's weapon. If we can't, the City will be overrun by the Taken. When we discussed this earlier, Cayde mentioned he might have an idea." She turned to eye the Hunter Vanguard pointedly.

Cayde gave a forced-sounding laugh. "Sure thing! Just gonna walk Kay here out."

Kaedro was about to protest that someone walking him out was the last thing he wanted at the moment when Cayde all but dragged him up the stairs. "...What's this about?" he asked suspiciously.

Cayde sighed. "Look, I'm sorry 'bout Ace. The kid's had a rough time of it. Y'know, if I could trade places with him I'd do it like _that_." He snapped his fingers.

"Are you gonna help me get him back?"

Cayde sighed again. "Would if I could, Kay. Unfortunately, the only way you can help him is by gettin' on that Dreadnaught since it's the source of this whole 'Taken' thing."

"How is getting me on the _Dreadnaught_ supposed to help Ace?" Kaedro demanded.

"Shh!" said Cayde. He glanced over his shoulder as they continued toward the exit. "Zav is _super_ against puttin' _anyone_ on the thing... I've got a plan, but we'll need some specialized kinda gear. Lucky for us all, I spent years preppin' for…special circumstances. We need a stealth drive. I got one hidden in the-"

"First of all, I _still_ don't see how this helps Ace. Secondly, what _is_ a stealth drive?"

"I'll explain later. Just get yourself to the Cosmodrome tomorrow and I'll contact you there."

Kaedro thought this over. "...Fine but-"

Cayde waved him off. "Doesn't matter." He started backing toward the Vanguard room, pointing at Kaedro. "Remember: _Cosmodrome_."

Kaedro stood there, watching in bewilderment as Cayde disappeared back into the Vanguard room. He understood the gist of what had just happened. _Looks like I'm going to the Dreadnaught._ He walked off toward the mess hall. "Why does Cayde think getting me on Oryx's ship will help Ace?"

"Well, the Dreadnaught is supposed to be his base of operations right?" said Jyn, "I'm willing to bet that a lot of the rifts lead there."

"Yeah, but are you willing to bet Ace's _life_ on it?" He looked at Prism, who had been worryingly quiet. "What do you think, Prism?"

The Ghost lifted the sides of her shell in a shrug. Kaedro sighed. He wasn't surprised at her behavior. She _had_ just lost her Guardian after all. Suddenly he groaned. _Jade doesn't know yet. I'm gonna have to be the one to tell her._ What was worse than breaking the news that one of your friends fell through a rift and is possibly dead? _Hearing it, I guess._ "Where's Jade right now?"

"She's in the dining hall," said Jyn, "Why?"

Kaedro just sighed. "We'd better get over there."

* * *

Kaedro entered the mess hall and a horrible feeling settled inside him when he saw smile on Jade's face. It was as though a heavy weight had lodged inside him, making his chest feel tight. He walked up to Jade's table.

"Hey Kaedro!" she said, "You're never going to believe what…" She trailed off, her gaze fixed on something over his right shoulder. A very small naive part of Kaedro wanted to believe that she was looking at Jyn, but he knew better. "Kaedro…Where's Harley?"

Forcing out the next few words was one of the hardest things Kaedro felt he'd ever done and he fought _aliens_ as a career. "...He's gone, Jade."

Jade's eyes moved back to Kaedro's face. "...What do you mean?"

Kaedro sighed, looking down. "He was pulled into a rift on Phobos. He's gone." Kaedro could tell Jade was still looking at him and it took him several tries before he managed to look her in the face. The Warlock's eyes were too bright. As he looked at her, she began to shake her head, slowly at first, but then faster.

"No no," she said, "Not him. Not Harley."

"I'm sorry," Kaedro offered, knowing it wasn't enough.

Jade's voice was rising with each utterance. "No. No no no. Not Harley!"

"I'm sorry Jade, but it's true."

Jade's eyes were wild and desperate, tears streaming down her cheeks and dripping onto her robes. She shot to her feet and shoved the table away with a loud clatter. "NO!"

Kaedro knew there was nothing he could do to fix the situation, but there was one thing that could possibly make it better. He moved to Jade's side, wrapping the Warlock in a tight embrace. After a moment, Jade responded, burying her face in his shoulder and sobbing uncontrollably. Kaedro merely tightened his hold while rubbing circles on her back with his other hand. They remained that way for a long time, standing in the middle of the mess hall, drawing on each other for comfort as they struggled to cope with their friend's disappearance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, a lot happened in this chapter. I know the in-game rifts don't really pull Guardians into them, but I always thought it would be a cool idea. Hope y'all enjoyed the chapter. 
> 
> I've started uploading "Incorrect Chasing Fate Quotes", which is a collection of stuff I thought the characters might say or do. Feel free to check it out.
> 
> Bye, all.
> 
> \- TheWolfParadox


	5. Stealth Drive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The storm, previously on the horizon, has arrived, plunging the system into chaos. The City is in more danger than ever as new enemies arise in the Plaguelands and old ones return from the Deep. Technology running rampant. A father with a score to settle. There is only one solution: divide and conquer. But sometimes even the Sky can fall to the Deep.

**"His speech to the Deep is not recorded here. But it is known that he returned and he said, now I am Oryx, the Taken King. And I have the power to take life and make it my own." - XXVIII: King of Shapes**

* * *

"I'm coming with you." Jade's jaw was set as she glared stubbornly at Kaedro.

Kaedro sighed. The last thing he wanted right now was to fight with her over this. "We've already been over this," he said.

"I don't understand why you don't want me to come. Having backup can't hurt."

Kaedro winced. _Last time it did._ "It's not that I don't think you're capable or anything, it's just…"

Jade narrowed her eyes at him. "You think I'm unstable."

Kaedro sighed again. "No I don't." But in actuality that was _exactly_ what he thought.

"Yes you do!" said Jade accusingly.

"Fine but can you _blame_ me?! I mean, just look at how you reacted last night!"

"Oh so because I was upset over Harley being gone and probably _dead_ , because I reacted like any _sane_ person, any _friend_ would, that means I can't handle a mission?"

"Jade, your reaction was _completely_ natural. It doesn't reflect badly on you in any way... I just don't think you've had enough time to process it."

"Well you've practically had the same amount of time and yet you're standing there telling _me_ to calm down! It's like Harley's disappearance is _nothing_ to you! How can you lecture _me_ on my feelings when you're acting like...like a complete _robot_!"

Kaedro flinched. He knew Jade didn't really mean it but her words still stung.

Jade suddenly froze, mouth falling open in horror. "Oh my Traveler, Kaedro I'm sorry! I got caught up and...I don't know why I said that! I didn't mean it. You _know_ I didn't mean it, right?"

Kaedro nodded. "I know, Jade."

Jade sighed. "I just don't know how you can be so calm about this when I'm over here falling apart."

Kaedro passed a hand over his optics. "I understand," he said, "...What you have to remember about me is I've been doing this a whole lot longer than you. Decades, in fact. And in that amount of time, you get exposed to a whole lotta crap. There's not much that shocks me anymore. But trust me when I say that I know how you feel about Ace. He's my friend and I'd do anything to get him back." He shot her a pointed look. "But _you're_ my friend too, Jade. And as your friend, I don't think you should be jumping into the field just yet."

"I know... I just really want to help Harley."

"I know you do. But can you trust me to do that by myself for at least today?" Jade hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Good," said Kaedro, "Work on your book. Give yourself some time to process. There'll be more missions."

Jade nodded again. "I will… What about Prism? Is she coming with you?"

Kaedro shook his head. "I told her to stay at the Tower. Last thing we need's for her to get shot before we can get her back to Ace." He checked his wrist interface. "Look, I gotta head out. You'll be ok here, right?"

"I'll be fine. Good luck, Kaedro." He nodded his thanks before waving goodbye and heading for the Hangar.

* * *

As Kaedro's ship angled down towards the Blast, he heard Cayde come over the comms. " _Ok. So I hid the stealth drive at the top of an old colony ship before I got roped into the Vanguard."_

"Right," said Kaedro, "It better still be there…"

" _You'd better hope so. You won't survive the Dreadnaught without it."_

"I also can't get Ace back without it."

" _Right. That too."_

Kaedro picked up on a strange note in the Vanguard's voice and felt a flicker of suspicion. But before he could act on it, he was transmatted out of his ship. After blinking away the disorientation, he surveyed the area around him. The last time he'd been in the Blast was when he, Rae, and Bazzle were on a strike against the Fallen House of Devils servitor. _Sepiks Prime... I'd trade Oryx for him_ any _day._ He recalled battling a Devil Walker in this very area. However, instead of a Walker, this time he appeared to have dropped into a firefight between Fallen and Taken. He studied the black glowing figures with a shiver. _How are they here so_ soon _?_ "Cayde… There's been an unfriendly development in this mission."

The Hunter Vanguard sighed. " _Let me guess: four arms, wear cloaks, smell real bad?"_

Kaedro shook his head. "Worse. The Taken are here."

He was caught off guard when instead of sounding surprised, Cayde just sounded grimly resigned. " _Thought we'd have more time."_

"You're telling _me_ …" Kaedro moved off to the side to skirt around the engaged forces, being careful not to attract attention. He moved through the Devils' Lair with little resistance. It appeared to be empty aside from the Taken rifts, which Kaedro made sure to give a wide berth.

" _How bad is it?"_ Cayde asked.

"The Taken are _everywhere_ … What the hell did we get ourselves into?"

" _Well I'll tell you what,"_ said Cayde, " _I got a feelin' that Earth's gonna end up lookin' a lot like Phobos if you don't find that stealth drive."_

"Great," said Kaedro bitterly, "No pressure or nothing." He passed through the last door and out into the large area where he and his friends had fought Sepiks Prime. Taken were standing on the platforms along the sides, turning to regard him with their glowing white eyes. One shot at him and Kaedro dove to the right, pulling out his hand cannon. He shot back at the Taken, clipping its shoulder. Instantly, it conjured a shadowy shield that Kaedro thought looked similar to Bazzle's Ward of Dawn. He took out the others around it until the shield dropped and he nailed it in the head, causing it to seemingly implode into nothingness. Kaedro moved forward down the slope. "Those things acted a lot like Vandals," he remarked.

" _Well, Oryx_ does _Take other races,"_ said Jyn, " _They could have been Fallen once."_

Kaedro nodded. "Makes sense." He slowed as he approached the broken and empty chassis of Sepiks Prime. Stepping around the rifts that dotted the ground next to it, he nudged a piece with his boot. "Remember when we fought giant Servitors instead of Hive gods?" he said.

" _Yes. I daresay those have become the 'good old days,'"_ said Jyn.

"Too true." He kept walking until he reached the edge of the expanse of murky water that covered the back half of the room. He made his way up the broken bridge, then jumped the gap to the other side.

" _Ok,"_ said Cayde, " _You're gonna find a vault door. There's a trick to getting through it, so let me know when you're there."_

Kaedro nodded before stepping off the bridge into the darkened passageway. More rifts lining the walls and ceiling, glittering darkly. Kaedro tightened his grip on his gun. He made it to the end of the hallway unimpeded but the sight that greeted him sent an unpleasant feeling rolling through his stomach. The vault door that Cayde had talked about was there alright, but it was open. He moved through the gap, hopping over a rift on the floor. The room on the other side felt rather like some kind of war bunker, if war bunkers had no floor. A rusted walkway ran along the right wall to a door at the other end. "So much for your vault," he said.

" _What?"_ said Cayde, " _It's already open?"_

"Seems so."

" _And the Flux grenades didn't detonate? ...I gotta get out of this Tower."_

Kaedro moved along the walkway and through the opposite door. The hallway let out into a large darkened room, the only light sources a few white lights at the opposite end. Rifts sparkled in the darkness as Kaedro passed through, trying not to linger. He had almost reached the other end when Taken rifts opened with shrieking sounds, blocking his path. Each of them resolved into a Taken creature just like the ones that he and Harley had fought in the hallway on Phobos. Now that they were in the open, Kaedro noticed that they bore a striking resemblance to Thrall. They started to advance on him slowly and he open fired. The Taken Thrall were extremely difficult to hit as they constantly warped at random, sometimes forward, sometimes to the sides. It reminded Kaedro of fighting the Vex. Whenever one got too close, he stabbed it in the head with his knife, causing it to disintegrate. Once the room was clear, Kaedro approached the elevators, eying them skeptically. They looked like little more than rectangular cages. He stepped into one with trepidation, the door closing behind him with a _clang._

"Guess it's still operational." _Don't know if that's a good or bad thing._ "Cayde? Would you happen to know when you last used this scrap box?"

Cayde chuckled. " _Relax, it works fine. But, uh, stand by for resurrection, Jyn."_

"What a vote of confidence," Kaedro muttered. The elevator lurched to a start and began to slowly ascend.

After a minute or two of creaking and groaning through the dark shaft, Jyn spoke up. " _We're high up enough that I can pick up Taken energy readings throughout the Cosmodrome… Have I ever told you that I was here looking for you when the first Fallen arrived?"_

"No," said Kaedro in surprise, "I didn't know that."

" _Well it started with just one skiff and then after a few months, the Cosmodrome was theirs… The Taken have done the same thing in a matter of hours."_

"...Wonderful." A sense of foreboding settled on Kaedro as he took in the implications of what Jyn told him. If it only took the Taken a few hours to spread through a system, how could he hope to accomplish anything of substance aboard the Dreadnaught, let alone help Harley? Finally, the elevator jerked to a stop and the door opened. Kaedro stepped out. "I'm in no hurry to do _that_ again… So where's the stealth drive?"

" _There's a bridge from the tower to the ship,"_ said Cayde, " _It took me days to get it working. You should be able to use it but watch out, it's a bit unstable."_

Kaedro sighed. "Here's hoping it's at least as in shape as that elevator…" He approached the doorway and immediately noticed that something was wrong. The bridge was there, yes, but it was slanted off to the left, leading to empty air. "Great. Someone moved it."

" _Moved the bridge?"_

 _"Yes,"_ said Jyn, " _The controls have been destroyed too."_

Cayde sighed. " _That's the Fallen for ya. Probably tryin' to keep the Taken off their backs… See if you can reroute the power."_

"I'm sure that's just as easy as you're making it sound," said Kaedro.

" _It'll be fine,"_ said Jyn, " _There's still an active feed moving through the pipes overhead. If you find the source, I can path the circuit for you."_

Kaedro retreated back inside and found stairs to his left leading up. As he climbed, Cayde kept talking. " _Once you get the bridge working, my stash is in the ball on top of the colony ship. And once we get that-"_

" _We're still waiting for details on this plan of yours, Cayde."_ Ikora's voice broke in faintly and Kaedro remembered that the other two Vanguard hadn't been made privy to the mission at hand.

" _Yeah!"_ said Cayde, " _Uh, give me a second, Kay."_

Kaedro shook his head, making his way to the other side of the next level and up the next few flights of stairs. He looked around. "Where the hell is it?"

" _One more level up,"_ said Jyn.

Kaedro looked up and saw a platform that was about one fifth the size of the others with no railing. With a sigh, he jumped up and saw the bridge controls on a small square that jutted out from the rest. Jyn materialized at his side and began to hack as Kaedro looked over the side. At this height, he could see for miles across the snowy Russian landscape. The wind whistled around him and sent his cloak flapping.

"Done!" said Jyn. She vanished again. With a creaking groan, the bridge slowly began to rotate back. Kaedro started heading back down. Then Cayde came back over the comms.

" _Alright, back in business. Hey, the bridge is already movin'! Now you gotta get to the top of that colony ship where I left my stash. And watch yourself on that bridge."_

The last part was said with a clear warning tone, bringing back Kaedro's apprehension. He reached the bottom level and stepped hesitantly out onto the bridge. It seemed to hold, so he took a few more steps. All of a sudden the grating sound of rending metal assaulted his receivers as a section of the bridge in front of him gave way, falling into empty air. "Holy shit!"

Kaedro jumped the gap, incredibly thankful he hadn't reached the compromised section when it collapsed. He stepped into the tower. The room was large and circular, with huge industrial pipes protruding from the middle of the floor. Directly across from him was a snow-covered section of the wall that seemed to have caved in. A series of shrieks sounded as Taken Thrall materialized in the open space, lurching toward him. A well-placed grenade took out about half of them but Kaedro found himself backing up as the others warped closer, swiping at him with their glowing claws. His knife made quick work of the rest. When a shot whizzed by his ear, he whirled to fire at the Fallen Vandal, only to discover it had summoned a shield. Striding forward, he entered it's shield and stabbed it in the head, watching as it disintegrated. He crossed to the broken section and stepped onto a large sloping piece, climbing to the top. Then he followed a piece that curved off to the left, jumping from it to a small rusted walkway further along.

Making a conscious effort not to look down, he quickly moved to the next platform where a door stood open. He landed on the platform only to be met with the sight of a large glowing figure carrying a huge shield. _Phalanx._ He moved to engage it, but instead of firing at him, it raised its shield. Kaedro saw the center light up with a swirling white energy before he was propelled violently backward. He let out a yell, his limbs flailing in the air for any sort of purchase. Luckily, his left hand caught the edge of the platform, jerking him to a halt. He hung there, swaying, with nothing but air below him. With a grunt, he holstered his hand cannon and pulled his grenade from his belt, sending it rolling through the doorway. He waited for it to go off before hauling himself up and drawing his gun again. The Phalanx was gone. The rest of the area was even darker than the last one, with pillars and pipes ready to be additional obstacles in his path. Further in were more Taken. The creatures were small like the Thrall, but they carried guns and had a nasty habit of multiplying.

" _Psions, I believe,"_ said Jyn.

Once they were gone, Kaedro jumped up to another platform and found a Vandal sniping at him. He shot it down then moved to the space it had occupied. As he continued on, he saw more Fallen. "Guess the Taken caught up to them."

A small part of him felt sorry for the Fallen. Sure, they sucked, but Kaedro was swiftly adopting the philosophy that anything was better than the Taken. Once there were no Fallen left, he looked around for where to go next.

" _One o'clock,"_ said Jyn _, "Small platform."_

Kaedro saw what she was referring to and jumped up to it. A wide beam jutted out from there, but it was much too close to the ceiling. With a groan, Kaedro holstered his gun and sank into a crouch. He slowly crept along the beam to the center of the room, then edged around a curved pillar to another beam, this one half the size of the first. He let out a huff. "Here goes nothing…"

He cautiously made his way to the end of the beam, stepping onto the next platform with a grateful sigh. He looked across to his right and saw two Taken Phalanxes disappear around the corner. "Great... I was starting to get lonely up here."

He drew his hand cannon and jumped across the gap onto the wide walkway. He threw a grenade at the Phalanxes, who were engaging a Shank. The blast killed one of them, but the other one turned, readying its shield. Kaedro preempted it by shooting it in the foot to drop its guard, then in the head. He took out the Shank and ducked under a fallen beam where he found three more Shanks waiting. But Shanks hadn't been challenging for him since his rookie days and soon they were no more. Two more Taken Phalanxes appeared and began to shoot at a Vandal. Kaedro took out the Phalanxes while their backs were to him, then the Vandal. Seeing an open door to his right, he stepped through, following the twisting passageway up a few flights of stairs and out into another room. This one had more Fallen in it and Kaedro moved to engage them. "You know, I have a feeling that all this Taken stuff is gonna make me _want_ to be fighting Fallen," he remarked as he took out a group of Dregs.

" _I'm sure we'll both feel that way soon enough,"_ said Jyn.

Kaedro took out the last Captain with his grenade, then looked around for where to go next. His gaze caught on a bluish glow emanating from around a nearby corner. He rounded it and found a gravity lift. "Up it is."

He stepped in and felt a strange flipping sensation in his stomach as the floor dropped away. The walls flashed by in front of him until he fell out into the largest chamber so far, stumbling as he tried to absorb the impact. The area was circular, with three shed-type structures spaced around the edges. The walls of the chamber were made up of hundreds of stasis pods arrayed around central structures like the spokes on a wheel. Fallen were scattered around the room but before Kaedro could shoot at any of them, an enormous figure warped into existence in a blinding flash of light, sending out a shockwave that killed the Fallen where they stood. The figure appeared to be made of some kind of wispy black substance as though not fully substantial. Its robes hung down like those of a Hive Wizard and three glowing eyes shone from the center of its skull, which branched off on either side of its head. Shadowy wings sprung from its back and it rose into the air. Then it spoke with the same voice as the projection on Phobos, a deep, ancient voice filled with rage and power.

" **What Crota began, I complete! My will conquers all!"**

It raised a hand to fire bolts of dark energy at Kaedro, who dodged them. He summoned his rocket launcher and sent a projectile careening into it's face. It vanished with an enraged howl and suddenly Kaedro was surrounded on all sides by Taken Psions and Thrall. He took out the ones on the roof of the shed closest to him, then jumped up onto it. He set down his rocket launcher at his feet and unslung his sniper rifle from his back, using it to take out the rest of the Taken from a distance. But as soon as they were dead, the shade reappeared and shot at Kaedro once more. He managed to hit it with another rocket before it stopped shooting to raise a hand above its head. A vortex of darkness began to swirl around it, gathering power and momentum. Kaedro dropped his rocket launcher and raised his own hand to the sky, feeling a surge of warmth and power as he summoned his Golden Gun. Taking careful aim at the figure's head, Kaedro shot it once, twice, three times. The shade exploded in a flash of white, its angry roar fading into silence as it died. Kaedro bent to retrieve his rocket launcher so Jyn could store it.

" _That thing seemed pretty mad_ ," his Ghost said with some concern.

"Well, yeah," said Kaedro, "We _did_ kill Crota. Oryx won't be letting that go anytime soon."

" _Things won't get any easier on the Dreadnaught… You find my stealth drive?"_

Kaedro scanned the area, but couldn't see anything that might be a stealth drive. "You sure it's still here?"

" _Eh, you just gotta know where to look. Jyn, why dontcha enter frequency 5982."_

There was a moment's pause as Jyn did so. " _I found it,"_ she said, " _Sending the signal…_ " Nearby, Kaedro saw an innocuous looking case vanish, leaving a pile of stealth drives behind. " _There."_

" _The best hiding places are always in plain sight,"_ Cayde remarked, " _Transmat it outta there. I'll set it up. Just do me a favor: if you find anything else I've hidden, leave it for me. There'll be treasure enough for everyone on the Dreadnaught."_

The Hunter Vanguard delivered it jokingly and to anyone else, it might have passed muster. But Kaedro could tell there was something in Cayde's voice that sounded hollow and he was pretty sure he knew why. He sighed, relieved that the mission hadn't all been for nothing, after all. _Just hold on a bit longer, Ace. We're coming for you._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cayde's Stash was personally one of my favorite Taken King missions. Writing from Kaedro's perspective has been different, but I enjoyed doing it.
> 
> As always, I'd like to thank all of you for reading and supporting this series.
> 
> Later!
> 
> \- TheWolfParadox


	6. Lost Then Found

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The storm, previously on the horizon, has arrived, plunging the system into chaos. The City is in more danger than ever as new enemies arise in the Plaguelands and old ones return from the Deep. Technology running rampant. A father with a score to settle. There is only one solution: divide and conquer. But sometimes even the Sky can fall to the Deep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Infinite shoutouts to my beta, EmeryldLuk

**"And thus the tribute will flow, up the chain, so that Savathun and Xivu Arath and myself will be fed a great river of tribute, and we will use that excess to feed our gods, and to study the Deep. Thus all worms will be fed - as long as we continue our crusade. This is my law. I carve it thus, in ruin. Aiat." - XXIX: Carved in Ruin**

* * *

Kaedro walked tiredly into the mess hall and collapsed into the seat across from Jade's.

"Kaedro! You're back!" Kaedro nodded. "How did it go?"

Kaedro met her gaze and saw how desperate she was for some good news. Her hands clutched at the edges of her robes, fiddling with them as she waited for his response. Delta and Prism hovered at her shoulder and though Ghosts didn't really have facial expressions, Kaedro could tell they shared Jade's feelings. "It went well," he said, "We got the stealth drive to Cayde."

"Stealth drive? What's that?"

"...Right. I forgot you didn't know what the mission was about… Basically, Cayde wants to get me onto the Dreadnaught, Oryx's ship."

Jade's eyes widened. "But that's _suicidal_!" she said.

"Yeah. That's why there's a plan." Kaedro had to chuckle a little. After he gave Cayde the stealth drive, the Hunter Vanguard had finally opened up to him regarding exactly what his plan entailed. "So there's two things stopping me from getting close to Oryx's ship. The first one's obvious: he can see me coming. What Cayde's stealth drive will do is cloak my ship so I can get close without winding up like the Awoken. The second problem is the Hive can tell when a ship is one of theirs. Something about energy or smell or whatever."

Jade frowned. "I don't see how to circumvent that… Guardian ships are pretty much the _opposite_ of Hive."

"I know. I asked about that. _Eris'_ ship will be the one getting the upgrades, not mine."

"Ohh. I see. Very clever. Is Eris in on the plan then?"

Kaedro shrugged. "I don't know. I asked Cayde and he said yeah but he was acting kinda evasive, which makes me think he hasn't told her. Or the other Vanguard for that matter."

"Ikora and Zavala don't know about this?"

Kaedro shook his head. "Nope."

She frowned. "So it's an unsanctioned operation."

"Cayde sanctioned it. He's also a Vanguard." Jade's expression was unamused. "Yeah, I know what you're gonna say," said Kaedro, "'Cayde's the master of unsanctioned ops.' Doesn't change the fact that _this_ is the only way to help Ace."

Jade's face softened. "I know. That's why I'll be coming with you this time."

Instead of arguing, Kaedro just nodded. "Sounds good."

Jade seemed surprised. "You aren't planning to fight me on it?"

Kaedro shrugged. "It makes sense. We can both fit in Eris' ship and to be honest, I'd rather not be alone on the Dreadnaught."

Jade nodded. "I'm also the only other Guardian who knows our other reason for going up there." All of a sudden, her expression grew distressed. "Oh crap Kaedro! The others don't know about Harley's disappearance."

A cold feeling wormed its way into Kaedro's chest. "You're right." His jaw set and he stood up. "Where's the best connection in the Tower?"

"Aside from the Vanguard's room? The Library."

"Ok. Come on." Jade rose to her feet, looking confused. "Why?"

"We're gonna contact Baz and the others. They need to know." He turned and strode out of the mess hall.

"Wait, Kaedro!" He heard Jade hurry to catch up before she fell into step next to him. "We don't… _have_ to tell them. We can just wait until after the Dreadnaught mission when we have Harley back. They wouldn't need to know that anything went wrong."

He glanced over with a sigh. "Jade, I know you don't wanna worry them, but this needs to happen now. What if - and this is gonna sound awful - but what if neither of us makes it off the Dreadnaught? I don't want the Vanguard to be the ones to break the news. They need to hear it from their teammates."

Jade was silent as she considered his point. Then she nodded. "Alright. We'll tell them."

They came out onto the plaza and headed in the direction of the Traveler's Walk. Suddenly a voice hailed them from behind. "Heya!" Kaedro turned and saw Cayde heading toward them. The Hunter moved with a bounce in his step. "I was just in the Hangar talkin' to Amanda. She's gettin' right on the upgrades, said they'll be done in a few days. Where're you two off to?"

"The Library," said Jade, "We're going to call the others and...tell them what happened to Harley."

Cayde instantly sobered up. "Yeah…" he sighed, "Well, if I may - and don't take this the wrong way...don't...get their hopes up."

"What?" demanded Kaedro.

Cayde sighed. "I know you two are all gung-ho 'bout findin' the kid and believe me, I'm with ya...but I hope you know there's a good chance we _won't_ find him… Just keep that in mind." With that, he continued on towards the Hall of Guardians, previous energy absent from his movements.

Kaedro sighed, but turned and kept heading toward the Traveler's Walk. A few minutes later, he and Jade were seated in front of one of the many monitors the Library had to offer.

"Shall I call Bazzle?" Jade asked, reaching for the screen.

Kaedro shook his head. "Wait... What time is it?"

"12:16. Why?"

"Call Rae. She's more likely to be up."

Jade nodded and entered the information for Rae's comm code. The Warlock answered after only one ring, her face popping up on the monitor in front of them. Upon seeing his teammate and longtime friend, Kaedro instantly felt much better. "Hey Rae," he said.

" _Hey losers. What's up?"_

"There's something we wanted to tell you about. But it would be better if all of you were there to hear it."

Rae nodded. " _Gimme a sec."_ She typed something into her wrist interface. " _I messaged them. Should be here soon."_

Kaedro nodded. "So how exactly is the video thing working on your end?" he asked.

" _Got you guys projected and_ _I'm using Shard as a temporary video camera. He doesn't mind."_

" _Oh_ no _," came Shard's sarcastic voice, "How could I_ possibly _mind?"_

"So while we're waiting, what's been up with you guys?" asked Kaedro, "Where are you right now, by the way?"

" _Ah, right,"_ said Rae, " _Felwinter Peak. We're staying at the Iron Temple while we sort out this SIVA problem."_

"This _what?"_

Rae sighed. " _Basically, about the second we got here, old Salad buzzed us talking about how some Fallen have captured the Peak and are looking to take Vostok Observatory or something. So we head up the mountain, killing Fallen on the way. We reach the bloody observatory and right in front of us, large as life: Sep-Dicks Prime himself!"_

" _What?!"_

" _Exactly. So he goes for the Temple and of course we can't let that happen so we fight off the Fallen and kill him again. Then Salad shows up to congratulate us or whatever and Sepiks comes back to life_ again _and goddamn teleports away! Salad said something about the Fallen attacking the sensor grid and something else about SIVA. And we heard from Shiro-4 - one of Cayde's scouts - that impacts were detected by the wall in Sector 17. So tomorrow we gotta head over there and see what's what."_

"Holy shit…"

" _I know right?"_

"What's SIVA?"

Rae sighed. " _I'm not about to explain that right now. We can-"_ She broke off, looking away to the side. " _About_ time _!"_

_"Korrin, do you care to explain why you woke me up this late?"_

_"You'll see. Just get your butt over here, all of you."_ There was a bit of shuffling and grumbling but eventually, Rae was joined by the others. Their faces lit up when they saw what Rae had been doing.

" _Ayyyyy!"_ said Fyr, " _Kay! Jade! How's it hanging?"_

 _"K-man!"_ said Rogue, " _And Wrythal! How the hell are ya?"_

Bazzle smiled. " _It's good to see both of you. But what prompted you to call?"_

 _"Who cares?"_ said Fyr, " _I got Saladin's autograph! I_ told _Ace I'd do it! ...Where is he? I wanna show him."_

Kaedro sighed and exchanged a heavy look with Jade. The other Chasers picked up on it instantly. " _What's going on?"_ Bazzle asked, " _Did something happen to Hayden?"_

Kaedro nodded. "We went to investigate Phobos together about a day ago... Turns out that the Awoken fleet was destroyed by Oryx's Dreadnaught."

There was a flurry of exclamations from the other end.

" _What?!"_

_"Shit!"_

_"Who's Oryx again?"_

_"Do the Vanguard know about it?"_

"Oryx has this...ability to Take other creatures. Basically, make them his puppets or whatever. When we got to Phobos, the Taken were in the middle of their assault on the Cabal. There were these weird rifts everywhere and Ace fell through one of them. We have Prism with us and in a few days we're gonna be put on board the Dreadnaught so we can take out its weapon...and hopefully find Ace."

" _Wait,"_ said Bazzle, " _If you two have Hayden's Ghost, he won't be able to be revived if he's killed."_

"We know. The odds aren't looking good Baz. That's why we called you guys. We wanted you to be informed just in case…"

There was a solemn silence on the other end. Then Rae broke it. " _God fricking damnit! If Oryx is here, we should be over there helping_ you _guys!"_

Kaedro shook his head. "No. Saladin needs you at Felwinter. Jade and I can handle this for now. We'll let you guys know if anything changes."

The others nodded in understanding. " _Good luck, Kaedro,"_ said Bazzle _, "And Wrythal."_

Rae nodded her agreement. " _Yeah,"_ she said, " _And remember our motto-"_

They said the words together. "'Kill shit, don't die."

" _Damn straight,"_ said Rogue, " _Show those Taken what for!"_

 _"Yeah,"_ said Fyr, " _I'll bring back some cool Iron Lord gear for you guys. Ace too."_

"Bye, guys," said Kaedro.

"Goodbye," said Jade.

" _Bye!"_ they chorused back. The call ended with a soft beep.

Kaedro stood up and stretched. "...Alright, well that's that. Only thing we can do now is wait for the ship to be ready so we can head out." He sighed. "I'm gonna head back to my quarters… I'll see you in the morning."

Jade nodded. "Goodnight Kaedro."

"'Night Jade."

* * *

Kaedro was in the mess hall the next morning, nursing his first coffee of the day when he received some truly unexpected company. One moment, it was just him and Jyn, the next, Cayde was dropping into the seat across from him. Kaedro regarded the other Hunter with blatant surprise. He couldn't remember a time before when he'd seen any of the Vanguard in the mess hall. He was about to ask Cayde what brought this on, when Cayde held up a hand.

"Look, I know this is confusin' but I wouldn't be here if I didn't have a reason." Kaedro considered that, nodding. "Alright," said Cayde, "...You ever met Tevis Larsen?"

"Yeah. Pretty sure I played him a few times... _And_ I'm pretty sure he cheated."

Cayde snorted. "Sounds like Tevis. He's a filthy cheater but he's also one of our best."

"Why are you asking me about him?"

Cayde hesitated before answering. "He went dark on Venus. Completely off the grid. He's one of our most experienced Nightstalkers. We can't afford to lose him... Plus, y'know, he's an old friend. Owes me money."

Kaedro nodded. Nightstalker was the rarest Hunter ability. Only a select few were able to wield the powers of the Void and out of them, even less could claim mastery. Tevis was one of those rare individuals. He immediately grasped the importance of finding the Hunter and if Cayde was coming to _him_ … "You want me to look for him on Venus."

Cayde nodded. "I don't wanna push this on you, man, since you got your own problems to deal with, but...I'm worried 'bout the guy and there aren't many I can trust with somethin' like this."

"I understand." He rose with a sigh. "Guess I'd better be getting over to Venus, then."

Cayde stood up, clearly relieved. "So you'll do it?" He chuckled and patted Kaedro on the back. "Knew I could count on you, buddy."

Kaedro brushed him off good-naturedly. "Yeah yeah. Just know that after all this crap is behind us, you'll owe me a drink...or ten."

Cayde laughed. "I hear ya."

Kaedro nodded. "I'll contact you when I land." With that, he took his leave, making for the Hangar. _Just when I thought things couldn't get any crazier…_

* * *

Exiting the Waking Ruins, Kaedro trudged into the abandoned structures of Campus 9. He was expecting them to be as barren of clues as the past few places but what he saw made him stop in his tracks. Piles of Vex pieces were scattered around the area, a strange purple vapor seeping out of them. Clearly, the Vex had been utterly decimated.

" _They're barely recognizable_ as _Vex,"_ said Jyn.

" _That's Tevis for ya,"_ said Cayde proudly, " _Bravest and stupidest sonuvabitch I've ever met."_

Kaedro continued forward, finding more piles of dead Vex as he went. The piles were larger, but still shrouded in the telltale purple fumes. They seemed to be forming a trail, leading Kaedro to the elusive Nightstalker. Further along, Kaedro encountered something new. A single living Goblin stood next to one of the piles, twitching erratically.

" _Hmm,"_ said Jyn, " _It seems that a Nightstalker's bow leaves behind very precise scarring… Interesting."_

Kaedro kept moving, making for the Endless Steps. All of a sudden, a new voice broke over the comms. " _If anyone can hear me, I don't think I'm on Venus anymore... This looks an awful lot like the Black Garden."_

Kaedro barely had any time to process what he'd heard before Cayde was chiming in. " _Tevis! That you?"_

 _"Cayde?"_ the Nightstalker's voice sounded relieved, though he hid it well. " _Good that I can't smell your breath... Listen, I stepped through the gate. My Ghost is still on the other side."_

Kaedro experienced the odd feeling of deja vu at the other Hunter's words. " _Well, he's in a great mood,"_ said Cayde, " _See if you can find his Ghost. If Tevis is trapped in the Garden, he'll need you."_

Kaedro nodded. "I'm on it."

He began to climb the steps leading up to the large gate. Supposedly, this was the same spot where Harley had fought the Gate Lord all those months ago. Kaedro tensed as gray clouds appeared around him. He could easily make out the distinctive sounds of the Vex teleporting in. As soon as his vision cleared, the Exo threw his grenade, incinerating a clump of Goblins. He threw his knife at a Hobgoblin, impaling it in the abdomen before it could shoot him. As he bent to retrieve his knife, he heard metallic footsteps approaching from behind. He reached over his shoulder, grabbing the Goblin by the head and using its weight to flip it over his shoulder in front of him. He stabbed it in the abdomen before sheathing his knife and pulling out his hand cannon to take the other two Hobgoblins out. He let out a deep breath, his chest heaving with exertion.

All of a sudden, the gray clouds returned, bringing another wave of Vex with them. Kaedro had little difficulty with the Goblins and Hobgoblins. The two Minotaurs, however, were a different story. Kaedro threw his grenade at the nearest one, only to have it vanish and reappear right next to him with an angry screech. Kaedro jumped back to avoid its fist and started shooting it in the abdomen as fast as he could pull the trigger. The Minotaur collapsed, giving him a few seconds to reload before the next one came at him. He jumped back and readied his grenade, watching the Minotaur carefully, anticipating where it would warp to. As soon as it vanished, he threw his grenade a few feet to his left, pointing his gun at the same spot. The Minotaur reappeared right on top of it. _Bang!_ It's legs were blown off, making it easy for Kaedro to deliver the killing blow. He looked around, waiting to see if more Vex would appear. When none did, he let himself relax a bit. Cayde spoke up over the comms again.

" _That was a lot of shootin'. You alright?"_

"Yeah, I'm good… Jyn, you got a location?"

" _I'm picking up the origin of the broadcast,"_ said Jyn, " _It's a dead Ghost."_

 _"Right,"_ said Cayde, " _...Let's hope Tevis is still kickin'."_ Jyn materialized in front of Kaedro to scan Tevis' Ghost as Cayde addressed the Nightstalker again. " _Tevis, if you can hear us, we're getting telemetry through your Ghost."_

Kaedro heard a crackle before Tevis' voice returned. " _The Vex are attacking quicker and quicker!"_ He grunted in pain. " _I got no Ghost and a bow that's short on Light!"_

"How do we get to him?" asked Kaedro.

" _From what Prism told me, there's a Vex Gate in the Valley of Kings."_

"The Valley of- on _Mars_?"

" _That's the one."_

Kaedro sighed. "I hope Tevis can hold on long enough for us to get there."

" _I'm initiating transmat now. Hold still."_

Soon, Kaedro was back in the Javelin, setting a course for Mars. While he usually admired how fast warp speed was, this time he wondered why it was taking so long. He fiddled with the controls anxiously and stared at the shining array of colors sliding by, hoping it would give way into the dusky red surface of Mars. After a few minutes, Cayde came back over the comms.

" _Kay, I've been trying to raise Tevis. He won't answer. Either he's in over his head or… l-look, that guy owes me a lot of Glimmer, so uh… he better still be kickin'."_ Cayde sighed. " _Alive… or the other thing, we need to find him. There aren't a lot of Nightstalkers in the field. We can't afford to lose his connection with the Void to the Vex. Go get him."_

The Javelin exited warp space and angled down toward the planet.

Entering the Garden was easy. Kaedro, who'd been expecting waves of Vex, felt it was too easy. But then he came out onto a stone-cut walkway overgrown with plants that overlooked miles of the rest of the Garden and saw why it'd been so easy. More smoking piles of Vex lay scattered around. _Tevis cleared the way._

As Kaedro rounded a corner, he saw that more Vex had teleported in. They were all heading away from him. He took out a Harpy, causing all the Goblins to turn. He noticed with interest that they all had moss and strands of plants growing on them. _They must've been here for a while._ He took out the first one with a perfectly aimed throwing knife, shooting at the rest to keep them away as he retrieved it. Once the Goblins were dead, he continued along the walkway.

" _Tevis is a cheat,"_ said Cayde, " _And a liar._ And _he smells like a barrel of Thrall spit. But he's_ our _cheat. The Vex can't have him!"_

When Kaedro entered the next area, he saw flashing lights and gray clouds as Vex teleported in. He holstered his hand cannon and switched to his auto rifle, better to deal with large groups. He made quick work of the first few Vex and ran through, passing another pile of dead Vex. There were just a few Goblins scattered around, so he took them out and moved into an area whose floor was more grass than stone. This time, there was a larger group of Vex made up of Harpies, Goblins, and a Minotaur. He used his grenade to take down the Minotaur's shield, then shot its abdomen until the casing of radiolaria broke and it died. He shot down three Goblins and hit a Harpy in its red eye with his knife, causing it to explode with a shriek.

Finally, the Vex were gone, but Kaedro saw something else that made his stomach drop. In the middle of the area lay the still figure of a Guardian. _Tevis._ He approached the Hunter, who lay prone on his back, arm outstretched to the side. Kaedro bent down for a closer look. An orb of Void Light rested in the fallen Nightstalker's palm. "Cayde...I'm sorry. Tevis is gone… But there's still some Light left in his bow."

Cayde's reply was subdued. " _Well, it won't stay lit forever… Make it your own."_

Kaedro felt a flicker of surprise. He hadn't known such a thing was possible. Reaching down, he gently cupped the orb in his hand. It began to glow brighter, forming into a bow of pure Void energy, thrumming with energy in his hand. A Void arrow formed as Kaedro pulled it back. He released it, sending the arrow sailing off the platform down towards the vast expanse of the Garden. All of a sudden, he heard Vex teleporting in. He turned to see hordes of Vex appearing to the left.

" _I was there when he first picked up that bow,"_ said Cayde, " _You have it?"_

"Yes." "

_Take them out, Kaedro. Make them pay."_

Kaedro nodded. As the first wave of Vex dropped in, he harnessed the Light, shooting his arrow into the center of the group. Where it landed, it resolved into an orb of Void, sending out tendrils to the surrounding Vex, slowing and blinding them. Kaedro mowed them down with his auto rifle with ease, watching as more appeared further back. He ran in, reaching for the Void once more, and was surprised when he had no difficulty summoning the bow again. He tethered the next group of Vex shooting them down, then sent another arrow at the ones behind them.

As Kaedro continued through the area, something else took over in him. He fired arrow after arrow and took out Vex after Vex, not even faltering when Minotaurs began to appear. His bow took out their Void shields like nobody's business.

Finally, no more Vex appeared. Kaedro was dimly aware of how exhausted he felt. He sank back against a stone pillar, somewhat in shock. Cayde spoke once more over the comms. The despondency remained, but a hint of pride shone through.

" _I'll be honest, Kay. I wasn't sure you could connect with the Void. It's always a challenge... I should've known better."_ He sighed. " _We may have lost Tevis, but your strength means the Vanguard still owns the night... Come on back."_

"Will do, Cayde," said Kaedro, "And for what it's worth...I'm sorry about Tevis."

Cayde sighed again. " _So am I, Kay. So am I."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying the story so far. In the next chapter, there's going to be a short switch in perspectives. I won't give away anything, but feel free to take guesses ;)
> 
> In other news, alterations have been made to the Chasing Fate roadmap and I'd like to give you guys a brief look at what to expect.
> 
> 1) Herald of the Machine World (complete)  
> 2) Darkness Ascending (complete)  
> 3) The Final Shape (in progress)  
> 4) Bloodbound  
> 5) Stolen Fate  
> 6) D2 storyline begins (Untitled)  
> 7) Osiris/Saint-14 storyline (Untitled)  
> 8) Forsaken storyline (Untitled)
> 
> Aside from all that, there's another story that I'm considering releasing. It would contain characters from Chasing Fate but occur outside the events of the main series (kind of like an alternate alternate universe). Let me know if you're interested in seeing it and if you're up to it, I'd like to hear your predictions on what will be in Stories 4 and 5.


	7. The Deep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The storm, previously on the horizon, has arrived, plunging the system into chaos. The City is in more danger than ever as new enemies arise in the Plaguelands and old ones return from the Deep. Technology running rampant. A father with a score to settle. There is only one solution: divide and conquer. But sometimes even the Sky can fall to the Deep.

**"On the sixth pace, Oryx speaks, saying, listen to me, Emperor Raven, and I will describe to you the Last True Shape, which is written on my tablet. And he puts out his fist, full of black fire, and he swallows up the Emperor Raven with a wound. Aiat! Only Oryx knows this power, the power to Take." - XXX: A Golden Amputation**

* * *

The walls of the cell sloped upward to meet at some unseen point in the darkness above. The material they were formed of was nothing recognizable from that realm, but if a guess had to be put to it, some kind of bone would probably come closest. The floor was uneven and barnacle-like growths encrusted the seam where it met the walls. Pale papery moths fluttered through the space and here and there, enormous grub-like worms burrowed in and out of piles of who-knew-what. The only light came from a yellowish glowing crystal planted somewhere in the hallway outside, separated from the cell by a wall of jagged bars in which there appeared to be no means of entrance. And yet, the cell was accessible to the creatures inhabiting the rest of the ship. For the cell _was_ part of a ship… a very very small part. The ship itself was immense, though just how immense it was was lost on the occupant of the cell.

Harley's internal clock had long since stopped being of use to him as he had neither sunlight nor moonlight to tell him how much time was passing. His wrist interface had stopped functioning after being damaged upon his arrival. He suspected it was interference from going through the rift that shorted it out. He could recall nothing else that could have caused the damage, though he could have missed something in all the chaos.

_One moment, he was standing next to Kaedro on Phobos. Then he fell into the rift and ended up somewhere different entirely. He looked around, trying to figure out where he'd landed. It didn't take him long. The place screamed 'Hive' more than anywhere else he'd been, including the Hellmouth._ _He knew there was only one place he could be that made sense: the Dreadnaught. He was on Oryx's ship. The thought was by no means a comforting one, but at least he knew he was still in the system._

_He studied the dusky surroundings. The rift he'd passed through was embedded in the wall behind him, filled with the blackness of space. However, the number of rifts didn't seem as many as back on Phobos._ Some of them must lead to other places, _he thought. He tapped on his wrist interface, but the screen only flickered once before going black. He tried the comms but heard a burst of static. "Great. Looks like my systems are down. Prism, are you able to contact Kay?"_

_The Ghost flashed into existence at his side. "Negative," she said worriedly, "We're too far out."_ _Just then, Harley's proximity detector lit up with red on all sides._

_"Hive inbound," said Prism, vanishing._

_Harley reached for his hand cannon and cursed when it wasn't there._ I dropped it back on Phobos, _he remembered. "Prism, do you have my backup?"_

"Yes."

It materialized in his hand. "Thanks."

_He didn't have to wait long before the Hive were upon him. Hordes of Thrall rushed at him while Acolytes shot from the back. Harley was hard-pressed to fight them off._

_Wave after wave was unleashed, and he began to grow tired, his movements became sluggish. Then something strange happened. All at once, the Hive froze as though listening to something. The pause only lasted a few seconds before they resumed their attack, but Harley sensed that something had changed. Their intentions had shifted. Now, they seemed like they were trying to subdue rather than kill him._

_Time dragged on as Harley repelled attack after attack. The Hive all seemed to blur together and eventually, he noticed that they'd managed to maneuver him away from the wall. Then he saw a squadron of Knights approaching from the distance. He studied their numbers and knew he wouldn't be able to hold them all back. He continued to fire at the nearest Hive as he addressed his Ghost._

_"Prism. Could you, uh, 'manifest'?"_

_"That's not a good idea, Harley," she said, "If the Hive hit me-"_

_"I know the risk! Will you just do it please?"_

_Prism sighed, but complied with his request, dropping into reality next to him. The Knights were getting closer. Harley knew he only had a few seconds to get his Ghost to safety. He glanced over his shoulder at the rift, wondering if it went both ways. It was a long shot, but it was better than letting the Hive get their claws on Prism. There was no way he'd be able to get through the Hive without being stopped, but Ghosts were much smaller. The only problem was he knew she wouldn't go willingly, leaving him with only one option. Moving with the speed of a Hunter, he grabbed Prism._

_"Harley what are you doing?!"_

_Harley's gun clicked as it went empty and he holstered it. "I'm sorry, Prism."_

_Drawing back his arm, he sent the Ghost sailing into the rift, watching her vanish._ I hope she gets back to Kay.

_Shoulders slumped, he stood there, awaiting the mercy of the Hive. Something grabbed his shoulder in a pincer-like grip. The Knights flanked him on all sides as he was forcibly marched away. They threw him into a cell, leaving him there to sit in the darkness._

That had been days ago. Or so he assumed. With his interface broken, there was no way to be sure. Not that it mattered anymore. After a few hours in the cell, he realized the environment was doing something to him. At the time, he hadn't been sure what it was, but now he had no more doubts. His Light was being drained.

He'd experienced something similar on Mercury, though there it was more the absence of Light. Here on the Dreadnaught, it was as though his Light was being suppressed and siphoned away. He couldn't summon a grenade or enter a Bladedancer's Trance. And the Hive were smart. They'd taken anything that he might have used to escape. His hand cannon, sniper rifle, and knife were gone. They'd even taken his helmet. Luckily for him, the air was breathable. All that remained now was to wait to discover why they wanted him alive. What could prompt beings as Dark as the Hive to spare a Guardian? Nothing good, he knew.

He looked up at the sound of approaching footsteps. Two Knights appeared on the other side of the bars. Harley retreated further into the corner he'd been sitting in, hoping in vain they wouldn't notice him. The Knights entered the cell, though how they did so he wasn't sure, and advanced toward him. They seized him by his upper arms and dragged him toward the exit.

At first, Harley struggled, attempting to yank his arms out of their grip. Before the cell, he knew he could've broken their hold easily. Now, however, he might as well not've bothered for all the good it did. Taking his failure in stride, he tried to stand up so he could at least walk himself to his fate. But his weakened legs wobbled and collapsed beneath him and the Knights did not wait. Harley slumped in their grip, exhausted from his minimal efforts.

He didn't even bother keeping track of the path they took, barely registering the details of his surroundings. However, he _did_ notice when the long hallway they turned down let out onto a terrace-like thing on the side of the ship. He felt a brief flash of worry about not being able to breathe before he considered that if there wasn't some type of atmospheric shell around the ship, he and all the Hive would have been sucked out into space.

The platform at the end was circular with four pillars that would have formed the corners of a square if connected. Past the platform, the visage of Saturn loomed in the distance, its rings splaying out like some kind of rocky garden. But the most noticeable thing by far was the figure that stood on the terrace, looking out at Saturn.

It was the biggest Hive he'd seen so far, even bigger than Crota. Its wings, robes, and plating were all a rusty red and the bone of its skull branched out to either side, the width of Harley's arms if they were fully extended. As he was dragged closer to the creature, Harley felt as though he were approaching a black hole. The being was a gravitational force of power, a power so completely opposite to everything Harley stood for that it made him feel hot and cold all at once. He wanted nothing more than to get as far away from the creature as fast as he could. He had a very good idea of just who it was and the thought filled him with a fear so all-consuming that all he could think of was escape. A being with that titanic amount of power could only be Oryx, Father of Crota.

Once the Knights reached the platform, they threw Harley forward. He landed in front of them on his hands and knees. Oryx turned to face them and Harley noticed that he carried a sword similar to Crota's. Slowly, he dragged his gaze upward, removing his hands from the floor. Only when his head was tilted almost all the way back did he meet the Hive God's gaze. Instantly, he felt the urge to drop his eyes, but he couldn't move his head to do it. Something held him in place, forcing him to stare upward into the three green eyes of Oryx. Then one of the Knights spoke from behind him, its voice guttural and grating.

"We have done as you asked."

A slight nod was the only acknowledgment Oryx gave, his gaze still boring into Harley's. Then he opened his mouth to speak. Harley anticipated his voice to sound like the voice of the Knight, but he got something very different. Oryx's voice was sonorous, thrumming with power. And yet, it was somehow also smooth and melodious in a way Harley had not expected.

" **So this is the Child of the Sky that killed my son."**

Harley willed himself to respond, only to find that his own voice had fled from him.

" **I understand,"** said Oryx.

Harley blinked. Surely, he'd heard wrong.

" **Make no mistake, I will have my vengeance...but I understand. You wish to defeat me. My son was only the first step. But if I am defeated, I will live forever."** He studied Harley. " **I see that you do not understand. That is your downfall. That is why you have failed... If I am defeated I know it will be because my understanding of the universe was incomplete. I failed to anticipate some strategy, some nemesis. But if I were to be defeated, my conqueror will seek what I have sought and they would understand me. Thus, they would become me and I them, each of us defeating and correcting the other into eternity… This is what you fail to understand."**

Harley was insurmountably both confused and terrified at the same time. His chest was tight like he'd forgotten how to breathe, and he could feel his body trembling.

" **However, you do understand one thing... You understand the Sky. Therefore, you escape causality as I have... But you will not escape me, you Children of the Sky. You have taken my son from me, so I will Take something in return."**

Oryx held out his hand and Harley saw an orb of dark fire gathering in his palm. It glowed with light, but a light that was somehow Dark in its being. Harley knew he had to move, to make his escape before Oryx followed through with whatever he was planning, but he couldn't. Instead, he watched, frozen, as the Hive God lowered the orb to his level.

" **You, Child of the Sky, shall become a Puppet of the Deep."**

With that, he pushed the orb into Harley's chest and the last thing Harley registered before he was overcome with agony was the booming sound of Oryx's laughter.

* * *

Kaedro walked into the Library, looking around. He moved down the aisle, peering down each row. Finally, he got to the end and found what he was looking for. Jade sat in a corner, the area around her completely covered with books, papers, and Holoscreens.

She looked up at his approach. "Oh hey, Kaedro. When did you get back?"

"About two days ago," said Kaedro dryly, "I looked everywhere for you."

"Oh, yeah. Sorry, I've been kind of everywhere lately. Gathering materials."

"Ah. I assume that's what this is?" He gestured to the mess around her. She nodded. "What is it?"

"It's research. On the Hive." She shook her head. "Some of this stuff is unbelievable… I have no clue how it found its way into this library."

"The Hive?" said Kaedro in confusion, "I thought we were fighting the Taken."

"We are," said Jade, "But the Taken started with the Hive."

"What," said Kaedro hopelessly.

Jade gave a small smile. "Here, sit down. I'll show you." She shifted some of the tomes out of the way, clearing a space for Kaedro to sit.

He sat down next to her. "Alright. Tell me."

"Well, it all started with this planet called Fundament, which was made up of continental plates on a gaseous ocean. Fundament had 52 moons, which will be relevant later. One of the races that lived on Fundament was the Krill... They had very short lifespans and were ruled by the Osmium King who kept a dead worm as a pet."

"Is that relevant too?"

"Believe it or not, yes. It's _very_ relevant. Anyway, the Osmium King had three daughters: Aurash, Xi Ro, and Sathona. When he was later betrayed and killed, they swore to avenge him and left to build an army. During this period, Aurash was becoming consumed by her father's final words: that the moons would align and create a God Wave that would wipe out their species, referred to as the Syzygy. Aurash's sister, Sathona, lead them deep into Fundament's ocean, guided by their father's worm. They met an ancient Leviathan who warned them to turn back, but they pressed on and encountered the Worm Gods at the center of Fundament.

They made a deal with the Worm Gods, in which they would take their larvae and gain incredible power. However, in exchange, they had to obey their nature as well as kill and triumph over other living things to satisfy their worms. The worm Aurash took transformed her into the king morph of her species. He and his sisters took on new names: Auryx, Xivu Arath, and Savathun."

"Holy shit. So that means that Oryx used to be a _girl_?"

"Yes. While he and his sisters battled their father's killer, the Worm Gods discovered that the cause of the Syzygy was an extra moon that turned out to be a Traveler."

"...This is so confusing."

"Stay with me... Auryx died and discovered a sword realm, where he established his throne world. Over the next thousands of years, he and his sisters fought and killed each other over and over to 'practice dying.' Their worms got stronger and they became afraid that they would be killed his sisters in the sword realm to gain their knowledge, then he went to Akka, the Worm of Secrets and used his newfound knowledge to kill him and take the secret of communicating with the Deep. He then created the Tablets of Ruin, gained the power to take life, and took the name Oryx, the Taken King."

There was a long moment of silence as Kaedro absorbed her words. "That's a lot to take in," he said.

"I know. And that's not even half of it. The stories behind the Hive are fascinating... I was _incredibly_ lucky to find information on them."

"So the secret that Oryx stole from the worm… What _is_ the Deep?"

"The simplest explanation is the Deep is another word for the Darkness. The Hive refer to the Darkness as the Deep and the Light as the Sky."

"Whoa. So if Oryx is a...conduit to the Deep, does that make him the opposite of the Traveler?"

Jade shrugged. "I personally would say yes, but I still don't have a very in-depth understanding of it all. For instance, there are some papers here from Toland the Shattered about a 'Sword Logic' that I still don't fully understand."

"So the Taken are like inverse Guardians."

"...In a way, but as I said, we still don't know how it all works."

Kaedro nodded and rose to his feet, Jade following suit. "Well, thanks for the history lesson," he said, "...The reason I was looking for you in the first place was 'cause I talked to Cayde earlier and he said they were finishing up the final touches on Eris' ship today, so we'll be flying out tomorrow."

Jade nodded. "Thanks for letting me know."

"Yeah. I also messaged Rae and told her when it was going down, just so she's aware."

"Good. I hope their mission is going better than ours. Speaking of which, where exactly did you go last time?"

"Oh, I actually went to Venus looking for Cayde's friend Tevis."

"Tevis as in Tevis Larsen the Nightstalker?"

"That's the one. He got trapped in the Black Garden with his Ghost on the other side. I tried to get to him in time, but the Vex were faster… Anyway, I sorta 'took over' his power to harness the Void."

Jade's eyes widened. "So does that mean you're a _Nightstalker_ now?"

"Yeah. Pretty crazy, right? ...I haven't had much time to practice with it, so we'll see how things go on the Dreadnaught tomorrow."

"Alright... If you want to eat right now, just go ahead. I still have to sort this mess out before I leave."

"Sure thing. Later, Jade."

"See you later, Kaedro."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was one of my favorite chapters to write. How many of you guys saw this coming and what did you think of it? The idea of Oryx Taking a Guardian is something I've wanted to incorporate into a story for a while now, so I'm glad I got the chance to do so.
> 
> This last thing is important. Recently, a couple friends and I started a discord server for writers. Currently, it's just a place to test ideas and ask for advice, but in the future, we're hoping it'll be a place to pair up betas, artists, and a bunch of other functions. Even if you're not a writer and you want to hang out on there, feel free. The link is https://discord.gg/bxHags Hope to see you on there!
> 
> \- TheWolfParadox


	8. Dreadnaught

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The storm, previously on the horizon, has arrived, plunging the system into chaos. The City is in more danger than ever as new enemies arise in the Plaguelands and old ones return from the Deep. Technology running rampant. A father with a score to settle. There is only one solution: divide and conquer. But sometimes even the Sky can fall to the Deep.

**"Oryx went down into his Throneworld. He went out into the abyss, and with each step he read one of his tablets, so that they became like stones beneath his feet." - XXXI: Battle Made Waves**

* * *

As Eris Morn's ship broke out of warpspace, Kaedro cast a look back at Jade. The Warlock looked as nervous as he felt, but there was also a hint of determination about her. He turned back to the viewscreen as they descended towards Saturn's rings, approaching the hole the Dreadnaught had caused.

Kaedro put on his helmet and pulled up the hood of his cloak. As the ship dropped into the area near the Dreadnaught, he eyed the devastation around them. Awoken ships drifted here and there amongst the rocks and once or twice, he even caught sight of the bodies of Awoken soldiers. "Hard to believe that thing only had to shoot once…"

Cayde's voice came over the comms. " _Think of it like this: when you two are through, it'll never fire again... Just don't forget to plant the transmat link so other Guardians can land. They don't got stealth tech and a Hive ship."_

"What _are_ the odds of that happening? Haven't seen that many others around for a while."

" _Maybe not, but I might be able to scrounge up a few."_ The mischievous tone in Cayde's voice told Kaedro that the Hunter Vanguard had something up his sleeve.

" _Activating stealth drive,"_ said Jyn.

Nothing inside the ship seemed to change, so Kaedro just had to hope they were invisible on the outside. They sailed toward the Dreadnaught, its weapon appearing like a giant eye in front of them. " _Jyn, not to alarm you, but I'm picking up fluctuations…"_ said Delta.

" _In the power conduit? I am too."_

 _"Relax,"_ said Cayde, " _I modified the tech myself. S'probably just Saturn's radio storms running interference."_

"I hope so," muttered Jade.

All of a sudden, alarms began to blare and Kaedro saw a red light flashing on the dash. "Cayde! It's malfunctioning!"

" _Did you break my stealth drive?"_

Jade leaned forward, looking at the Dreadnaught's weapon. "Do you think they can see us right now?"

"No idea," said Kaedro. Just then, lines of green energy began moving toward the cannon. "Shit!"

Kaedro slammed forward on the throttle, steering the ship down toward a ledge near the weapon's chamber as the energy built up, about to be released. "Almost there. Almost there..."

The weapon fired, sending out a wave of energy in a bright flash. Kaedro's arms came up to shield his face as he braced for the inevitable explosion. Suddenly, he found himself landing on solid ground, stumbling slightly. He looked around. He and Jade were standing on the ledge next to the weapon.

" _We managed to transmat you two out just before the blast,"_ said Jyn.

" _What happened?"_ asked Cayde worriedly, " _Everything all right?"_

"Peachy," said Kaedro, "Just stuck on the Dreadnaught with no way off."

" _Great! Told you my stealth drive would work. Anyway, as much as I'd like to tell you the strength of the City's behind you, as long as that Dreadnaught is still firing, we can't risk reinforcements. Head inside, see if you can find whatever's powering that weapon."_

"What about Harley?" asked Jade.

Cayde sighed. " _...I know you wanna find him, but that weapon's gotta come first. Once you disable it, you can go lookin' for him."_

Kaedro nodded and started forward. They walked along the large balcony, filled with green light and slanting pillars encrusted with growths. Further down to the left, Kaedro saw a hallway leading further in. "That way."

They approached the entrance, taking a moment to look at the tattered banners and ribbons drifting eerily as though propelled by a breeze. A small glowing orb floated just inside the hallway, rather like the one Kaedro had seen on Phobos. He pointed it out to Jade. "Ace and I saw that thing right before Phobos went to shit."

" _It might be some kind of probe,"_ said Jyn, " _Be careful."_

Just as on Phobos, the light vanished when they approached, appearing at the end of the hallway hovering over a skinny bridge spanning a seemingly bottomless chasm. Kaedro and Jade followed it and moved to step onto the bridge. Suddenly, both the light and the bridge vanished completely.

"What the hell?" said Kaedro, "Where'd the bridge go?"

" _Gimme a sec, I'll check with Eris,"_ said Cayde. There was a short pause before he spoke again. " _Uh…she says it's probably just a 'resonant spell,' whatever that is, so just don't...don't trust anything."_

"That's helpful," said Kaedro, meaning the opposite.

" _Maybe I can scan for it,"_ said Jyn. She appeared in front of them with a flash to scan the space where the light had been. "The bridge is still here," she said, "It's just incorporeal. I can map it on your HUD."

She vanished again. A few seconds later, Kaedro's HUD flickered and he could see the bridge, mapped in a white grid. "Thanks, Jyn." He stepped onto the bridge, relieved to find it solid.

He and Jade carefully made their way across, then into a hallway to their right. Kaedro saw a hole at the bottom of the left wall just big enough for a person to get through. He ducked under it and emerged into a darkened room. Several worms screeched and burrowed into the ground at his entrance.

Jade ducked through behind him. "Gross," she said.

"I'll say." He caught sight of another hole. "That way."

They emerged into a dark hallway dotted with pillars and broken stone. Upon reaching the end, they discovered a big hole in the left wall that opened up into a large area with no floor. Another invisible bridge spanned the gap.

" _Any luck with the weapon?"_ asked Cayde.

Kaedro sighed at the Vanguard's impatience. "Hardly. This place is frickin' huge." They stepped onto the bridge.

" _Hive keep vital operations deep in the core of their architectures. You're gonna have to get your hands dirty."_

Kaedro laughed. "Gee thanks, cuz I _didn't_ know that."

" _...Shuddap."_

They ran into some Thrall on the other side, but luckily it was just a few. They rounded the corner and entered a large chamber. In the center, a spire came down from the ceiling to meet a shorter one protruding from the floor. In the space between them was a black orb encased in a glowing shield.

" _That energy powers the weapon!"_ said Delta excitedly.

Kaedro nodded. "Alright... Cayde, what's the play?"

" _Ok, hold on… Eris is going on about 'breaking the necrotic…' Eh, just shoot it."_

Kaedro raised his gun, but Jyn stopped him " _Hold on, there's a shield up."_ She materialized in front of him, disabling the shield. Once it was down, Kaedro and Jade shot at the orb until it exploded. " _Good job,"_ said Jyn, " _It's down, but it wasn't the only channel to the weapon."_

 _"Find the rest,"_ said Cayde, " _It won't stop firing till you shut 'em all down."_

Suddenly, Taken Thrall entered the other end of the room, teleporting toward them. "What are _those_?!" Jade sounded alarmed.

"Jade, meet the Taken," said Kaedro, shooting them down before they could get any closer.

They headed toward the area where the Taken had come from. The passage led back out into the big room. Kaedro and Jade crossed a short bridge up to another platform, where they encountered several Taken Acolytes. After getting past them, they headed down a winding hallway into a room with another power conduit. This room was much bigger than the first one and it wasn't empty. More Taken Acolytes were waiting to greet them. Jade threw her grenade up onto the area where they stood, burning them into nothingness. But then a horde of Taken Thrall came charging in. Kaedro killed the first few with his grenade, then he and Jade went back-to-back to kill the rest so they couldn't get taken by surprise. Once the room was clear of Taken, Jyn took down the second spire's shield, then Jade and Kaedro blew it up.

" _The weapon's cycling down!"_ said Delta, " _One channel left!"_

They headed through a small side door and down a bridge into the third and final chamber. This one was the largest so far and next to the spire floated a Taken Wizard. As the Guardians watched, it summoned a shadowy Thrall from nowhere, which sprinted toward them. As soon as they took it out, another one spawned.

"Keep the Thrall off my back while I shoot the Wizard!" said Kaedro.

Jade nodded. Every time the Wizard summoned a Thrall, she shot it down before it could reach them. Kaedro focused his shots on the Wizard's head, breaking through its shield and finally killing it. Then Jyn moved to take down the shield, but it only stayed down for a few seconds before coming back up.

"What the hell?!"

Then another Wizard entered, followed by a dozen Taken Acolytes. "Crap," said Jade, "What now?"

"Stand back," said Kaedro, "I'm gonna try something." Taking a deep breath, he summoned the Void Bow, shooting into the middle of the Taken. The tendrils shot out, tethering the Taken in place.

"Whoa!"

"Shoot them!"

The two Guardians open fired into the tethered Taken until all of them were gone. "I've never seen a Nightstalker in action!" said Jade excitedly, "That was so cool!"

"Thanks," said Kaedro, "...I'm just glad it worked."

He let Jyn out to take down the shield and this time it stayed down, allowing them to destroy the final power source. There was a low mechanical droning as the weapon shut down. The room became measurably dimmer.

" _We did it!"_ Delta cheered.

"Ok. What next?" asked Kaedro.

" _We need that transmat up and running,"_ said Cayde, " _There's a massive hull breach near your position, that's your best bet."_

"Sounds good."

Kaedro and Jade climbed up a short staircase, then went back down into the previous chamber. They passed through it and headed out into yet another large area. Across from them, a pair of Acolytes stood outside of a small hallway. Jade killed the Acolytes, then they moved through a couple twisting passageways out into one of the biggest spaces they'd seen since landing. The wall to their left had been completely demolished. The cause of it was clear. A wide trail of debris lead to a huge crashed ship, resting on the floor of the Dreadnaught. Cabal and Hive were fighting each other across the breach.

"The Cabal are _here_?" said Kaedro in disbelief.

" _Those are Skyburner colors,"_ said Jyn, " _The ship must have deployed from Phobos."_

 _"Cabal?"_ said Cayde incredulously, " _We'll deal with 'em later… Secure that transmat zone!"_

Kaedro turned, heading for the edge of the hull breach. Just as they reached it, three Tombships sailed through the gap to drop off more Hive. Jyn retrieved the transmat beacon for Kaedro, who planted it in the ground.

"That's how it's done!" he said, high-fiving Jade.

" _I'm activating the link,"_ said Jyn, " _Our ships are inbound."_

A few seconds later, his and Jade's ships sailed in and hovered above them. Kaedro turned and looked across to the Cabal ship, whose doors had opened. He saw a wave of Cabal run out, accompanied by a Goliath tank. "Well shit."

Cayde sounded triumphant. " _Hey Zavala! Wanna know what a transmat zone on the Dreadnaught looks like?"_ he bragged.

Suddenly, Zavala's voice came over the comms, his tone sharp. " _You landed_ Guardians _on the Dreadnaught without authorization?"_

_"Oh right! ...Can I have authorization?"_

_"We'll discuss it later... Kaedro, Wrythal, take care of that tank or the transmat zone won't matter!"_

The two ships retreated as the tank prepared to fire. Kaedro and Jade ducked behind a broken pillar. "Any chance we could get some backup?" asked Kaedro, "Or do we gotta fight a _tank_ all by ourselves?"

" _There is no way for any reinforcements to approach safely while that tank is operational."_

 _"I know someone who could back you up!"_ said Cayde.

" _Cayde! You've done enough at the moment!"_

_"...Sent 'em a message. They're on their way."_

_"You and I are going to have a very long discussion about this,"_ said Zavala.

" _Ooh I'm shaking in my boots,"_ said Cayde, " _Good luck you two! I'm gonna get outta here before Zavala gets any ideas."_

"Great," said Kaedro, "Least we got backup."

"What Guardian would be crazy enough to fly into an active battle zone on Oryx's Dreadnaught?" Jade wondered.

Suddenly, a cheer rang out over the comms. " _Woohoo! The cavalry has arrived!"_

A Guardian ship swooped by the opening, a figure transmatting out with a flash. Two more followed, leaving them looking at a full-on three-man fireteam comprised of a Hunter, a Titan, and a Warlock. The Hunter strode forward, armor a mix of maroon, purple, and blue. Curiously, her chestplate stopped above her stomach and her arms were bare save for her gauntlets. _Weird choice but ok._ Her skin was a light teal only a shade darker than Rae's, revealing her as an Awoken. As she came to a stop in front of him, Kaedro realized that she was incredibly short, barely coming to his shoulder. As he and Jade looked on, she placed her left hand on her hip, twirling a long knife in her right.

"Somebody call for backup?"

"That'd be us," said Kaedro.

The other Hunter nodded, sheathing her knife. Then she pulled a massive gun from her back, holding it at the ready, and Kaedro wanted to laugh. Her small form made the gun look even more ridiculous.

"The name's Liv." She gestured to the Titan. "That's Kai." The Titan nodded. She gestured to the Warlock. "And that's Tristan." The Warlock gave a small wave.

"Hey," said Kaedro, "I'm Kaedro-22 and this is Jade Wrythal."

"Hello," said Jade.

Liv nodded at her. "Hey… So let's get down to business… Cayde said something about taking out a tank?"

Kaedro nodded. "Yeah. The Cabal brought out a Goliath."

"Hmm. Well, something interesting about Cabal tanks is they tend to be weak around the thrusters."

"Ah. So maybe we have one team go left and one go right. Hit him from both sides?"

"Sure. We'll take left…. Calypso, move out!" The Hunter turned and began to move down the hill towards the left, the Warlock and Titan not far behind.

"Alright," said Kaedro, "Let's get down there."

He and Jade moved down the right side as fast as they could without the Hive or Cabal noticing them. Luckily there were many places to shelter from the tank once they got there. "Ok, switch to heavy and...aim for the thrusters I guess."

Jade nodded and both of them switched to their heavy weapons. After two rockets to the near thruster, the tank was crippled on their side. They ducked back as the turret swung towards them, only returning when a second explosion occurred, indicating that the other Guardians had done their job. Soon, the tank was reduced to nothing more than a pile of smoldering scrap metal. Cheers erupted over the comms.

" _Crushed it!"_

_"That tank didn't know what hit it!_

"Thanks guys," said Kaedro.

" _You bet!"_ said Liv, " _So...drinks in the City?"_

"Um, actually," said Jade, "We were wondering if maybe you could help us out with something else."

" _Ah, sure. One sec…"_ The comms were suddenly filled with the sound of gunfire and explosions, as well as Cabal and Hive screeches. This went on for a few minutes before silence finally settled. Then Liv came back over the comms, breathing heavily. " _Sorry. Just getting rid of the rest of them. We'll cross over to you guys."_

A few minutes later, the three other Guardians were standing in front of them. Liv leaned on her gun. "So what's up?"

Kaedro exchanged a glance with Jade before answering her. "A few days ago I was on a mission with A- with Harley Hayden."

Liv nodded. "Yeah, we know who Ace is... What was this mission about?"

"We were on Phobos investigating some weird activity when we ran into the Taken… I guess you know about the Taken too?"

The other Guardians nodded. "They're all over the system now," said the Titan, Kai. She shrugged. "Kind of hard to miss." Liv and Tristan nodded in agreement.

"Yeah," said Kaedro, "Well anyway, there were these rifts there. You've probably seen them…"

"Black and sparkly? Yup."

Kaedro nodded. "Ace fell into one but he threw his Ghost back through."

"Not the smartest decision," said Liv.

"Yeah, well what with being _surrounded_ by tons of Hive, I think he was a bit short on options."

Liv held up her hands. "No need to get all defensive. I'm guessing you're looking for him and you think he's here on the Dreadnaught. Right?" Kaedro nodded again. "Well before we exhaust ourselves by searching the whole-ass ship, I'm thinking we'll try scanning for him first… Rhys?"

" _On it,"_ said the male voice of a Ghost _, "Scanning surroundings for traces of Light...present company excluded."_

The Guardians waited in silence as the Ghost conducted his scan. Eventually, he sighed. " _Negative. There's no Light here aside from this group."_

"What about scanning for his comm signal?" asked Jade.

" _I'm sorry, but 'no Light' is pretty definitive."_

"Could you just try it? Please?"

Rhys sighed again. " _Fine. Scanning for any communications signal matching 'Harley Hayden.'"_ After a few more moments of silence, the Ghost spoke once more. " _I've located traces of a dead signal, but they're located pretty deep within the ship. From the timestamp, they appear to be from the same date as the Phobos mission."_

"And there's nothing more recent?" asked Kaedro.

" _There doesn't appear to be, although… hmm."_

"What?"

" _One of the traces feels different than the others. Hayden's comm clearly wasn't working on his arrival, but I can still pick up anomalies in the trace signals. Several are grouped together, they match the date of the Phobos mission."_

"They're probably from just after Harley came through the rift," said Jade.

" _That is likely, yes. Another cluster is located some distance away but I can't get a very good read."_

"Are there any others you _can_ get a read on?" asked Kaedro.

" _Hold on… yes! One is much farther away from the others. And it's the only one in that area. But it also seems to be corrupted somehow."_

"How could a comm signal be corrupted?" asked Liv incredulously. Everyone else shrugged.

"Honestly, I don't even know how a comm can still give out a signal after getting shorted out by a Taken rift," said Jade.

"Actually, comms are designed to keep signaling even with interference or some other kind of problem," said Tristan, "At least as long as they are not damaged too badly."

"Huh," said Liv in surprise, "I didn't know that."

"Yeah, you learn something new every day," said Kaedro impatiently, "Rhys, do you know _why_ the signal got corrupted?"

" _I'm not sure but I think it might be because of Taken energy."_

"Like the rift that Hayden went through?" asked Liv.

" _Maybe."_ The Ghost didn't sound sure.

"Well that means he could've gone through another rift," said the Hunter, "He probably isn't even here anymore."

"I don't know about that," said Jade, a frown in her tone, "Harley wouldn't just jump in a rift and hope for the best."

Kaedro snorted humorlessly. "You kidding? That's _exactly_ what he'd do."

"My _point_ is, he probably figured out that he was on the Oryx's ship. He'd have to know the Vanguard would find out about it and that they couldn't just leave it alone. Sooner or later, Guardians would board it somehow, so why would he leave his best chance for getting back to the Tower just to jump into some random rift?"

"Are you sure he'd think that far ahead?" asked Kai skeptically.

"You saying just cuz he's a Hunter, he can't think ahead?" Liv challenged.

The Titan sighed at her. "I neither said nor implied anything like that."

"I know. I just like giving you crap... Here's the thing, though - Jade, was it? Here's the thing, Jade... Rhys said Taken energy corrupted Hayden's comm signal. The likeliest way for that to happen is from jumping through a rift... I don't know what else would cause that."

"There's an easy way to find out," said Kaedro, "We look for the origin."

" _Uh, I don't know about you guys, but I'd rather not,"_ said Rhys nervously.

Liv shrugged. "I don't see why not... Let's go find that signal."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Kaedro and Jade got some backup in their search. You guys'll have to let me know what you think of Fireteam Calypso after you've seen a bit more of them.
> 
> ADDRESSING THE JADE/HARLEY SITUATION! I've had multiple reviews mentioning they'd like to see Jade and Harley as a couple. Now, back in Darkness Ascending, I asked about that and y'all said no. HOWEVER, since others want me to reconsider, I'll tell you what I'll do.
> 
> I AM GOING TO PUT A POLL UP ON MY TWITTER! It will last one week and I'll retweet it each day. THE POLL WILL ASK FOR FEEDBACK ON JADE/HARLEY. At the end of the week, we'll see where it stands. My Twitter is ArcaneGlitch. You don't have to follow me to participate in the poll.
> 
> One last time, IF YOU WANT JADE/HARLEY TO BE A THING, VOTE IN THE POLL!
> 
> (Sorry for all the caps, I just wanted to make sure y'all saw)
> 
> Happy voting!
> 
> \- TheWolfParadox
> 
> P.S. Liv's Ghost, Rhys, is named after the Tales from the Borderlands character


	9. Fireteam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The storm, previously on the horizon, has arrived, plunging the system into chaos. The City is in more danger than ever as new enemies arise in the Plaguelands and old ones return from the Deep. Technology running rampant. A father with a score to settle. There is only one solution: divide and conquer. But sometimes even the Sky can fall to the Deep.

**"I can see you in the sky. You are the waves, which are battles, and the battles are the waves. Come into this vessel I have prepared for you. And it arrived, the Deep Itself." - XXXI: Battle Made Waves**

* * *

As the group moved through Oryx's ship, Jade studied her surroundings with interest. Most Guardians would see nothing more than an Evil Alien Ship, but due to her extensive research into the Hive, she knew some of the story behind it.

Oryx had created his Dreadnaught from a piece of the Worm God, Akka. What's more, he had then turned his Throneworld inside out, fusing it with the ship. Jade knew she couldn't completely understand everything to do with Oryx or his sisters, but she figured she still knew more than most people. As she walked along, she watched the three new Guardians, wondering once more where they'd come from. She would've remembered seeing them around. With that in mind, she decided to ask Liv.

"We were caught up in a long-term Mars mission," the Hunter replied, "You know Freehold?"

"I've heard of it."

"Yeah, well, that was our main objective: breaking the Cabal's grip on the Lost City. It hasn't been easy. When they landed on Mars, they _really_ settled in... Anyway, we were recalled from that mission to help handle the Taken stuff."

"Really?" said Jade in surprise.

"Yup."

"Have a lot of Guardians been recalled like that?"

Liv shrugged. "As far as I know... The Taken aren't just on Earth, y'know. They're _everywhere._ Mars, Venus, you name it. This is a war across a whole bunch of fronts."

"If things are that bad, why didn't you stay on Mars?" asked Jade.

Liv shrugged again. "This was more urgent. The other Guardians on Mars will probably be redistributed until we get back there." Jade nodded. "But enough of that. What's up with you? I get that you guys are looking for Ace, but who's he to you?"

It was Jade's turn to shrug. "He's my friend. Isn't that enough?"

"Sure, sure... That's not what I meant."

Jade remained silent. She knew what the Hunter had meant.

"So what's it like being in a fireteam with a living legend?" Liv asked semi-teasingly.

"I don't know. He's not like that. Harley, I mean... I don't see him like that." That wasn't completely true. While Harley _did_ probably seem more human to her than to people who hadn't met him, there was still a part of her that regarded him as larger-than-life.

Liv nodded in response to her words. "I guess I get it. I mean, everyone knows about the Chasers but you guys probably aren't that different from any other fireteam."

" _I_ think so. It's kind of hard to believe that you've heard of us even when you're on a different planet."

"What can I say? Ace made some pretty big waves when he was revived. Word gets around, even in the outskirts."

All of a sudden, the Hunter stopped in her tracks, grabbing Jade's arm. "Do you feel that?"

At first, Jade had no idea what the other Guardian was talking about. But as she stood there, she started to become aware of a tingling sensation on the back of her neck. She shivered, feeling goosebumps breaking out over her arms. Liv cocked her head to the side, as though listening to something.

"What is it?" Jade asked.

"I don't know," said the Hunter, "It feels wrong somehow."

"What's going on?" asked Kaedro. Jade turned to see the rest of the group walking back towards them.

"Something's off," said Liv abruptly.

Instantly, Tristan and Kai went alert, readying their weapons in front of them. Kaedro watched them, appearing puzzled. "What?"

"Can't you feel it?" asked Jade.

Kaedro shook his head helplessly. "What am I supposed to be feeling? ...Confusion?"

"It makes me feel slightly sick," said Tristan.

"Oh, you mean the Darkness?" asked Kaedro, "Yeah there's a lot of that here. It _is_ the Hive we're dealing with after all."

"No," said Liv, "This is different."

Jade looked around. They were standing in a long hallway, the end of which became an outlet on the hull of the massive ship. Through it, she could see the blackness of space broken by the looming image of Saturn and its rings. Suddenly, Rhys spoke up.

" _This is it,"_ he said, " _This is the last place Hayden's signal was detected."_

Jade shivered. The idea that Harley's last signal had emanated from a place with so much Darkness brought all kinds of scenarios to mind, none of them good.

"Let's split up and search the area for any rifts that Ace could've gone through," said Kaedro.

Liv nodded. "Good idea."

With that, the Guardians broke off to search the huge hall. Jade walked along it all the way to the end, scanning the floor and walls for Taken rifts. Unfortunately, she was unable to find even one. When she reconvened with the others, she discovered that they all told the same story.

Liv sighed. "Look, guys… I think it's more than safe to say that Hayden's not on the Dreadnaught. And since there're no rifts, he didn't warp out."

"So where'd he go?" demanded Kaedro, "And how'd he get there without using a rift?"

"No idea," said Kai, "But I _do_ know that we won't get anywhere if we continue like this."

"You want to _give up_?" said Kaedro incredulously, "Well fine. Leave. _I'm_ gonna find Ace."

"I'm not saying we should give up on _Hayden_ ," said Kai, "But there's nothing more to find here."

Jade nodded. "You're right," she said, "As much as I want to find Harley, we need a new lead. Another place to start." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Tristan nodding along.

Liv sighed. "Fine. We'll regroup at the Tower. Let's start heading back."

* * *

Jade sat alone at the table, entirely absorbed in the battered old book in front of her. She was so taken in that she didn't even notice when someone occupied the seat across from her until they spoke.

"What are you reading? If you don't mind me asking, that is."

Jade looked up and found herself staring into the sky blue eyes of a face she did not recognize. His hair was styled in a way that, in Jade's day, was referred to as "surfer" hair, or "wings" to use an even older term. Its color was a rich dark brown that formed a sharp contrast to the Guardian's pale skin. Jade refocused, realizing she had yet to answer him. "Toland's journal."

"Toland? Like Toland the _Shattered_?"

"Yes."

"Oh. I didn't know it was here in the Tower." He cleared his throat somewhat awkwardly. "I'm Tristan. I forgot you haven't seen…yeah." He motioned to a Ghost with a pale blue shell. "This is Tryllian."

"Hello," she said.

Jade smiled at the Ghost before gesturing to her own. "This is Delta."

"Hi!" said Delta excitedly, "It's wonderful to see some new faces."

Jade nodded. "I agree. I'm glad we met you guys today."

A slight pink tinge crept into Tristan's cheeks. "Thanks," he muttered, sounding embarrassed.

"So what brought you here?" she asked.

"I'm supposed to be finding more information on the Hive," he said, "And I know you've been researching. But...I also wanted to ask… Would- you were the only ones to make it out of the Vault of Glass alive aside from Pahanin. So I was wondering...would you mind telling me about it?" Jade was about to reply when Tristan hurried to elaborate, the words spilling from his mouth. "It's just because there aren't that many books on it and most people don't know anything so since you guys made it out I just thought-"

"It's fine," said Jade with a smile, "I don't mind."

"Oh," he said, looking relieved, "Great! I mean, great that you're ok with telling me about it."

"It's no problem, really. Anyway, what did you want to know?"

* * *

Kaedro meandered through the Tower, feeling lost. He wasn't confused about where he _was_ , after all, he'd lived in the Tower for longer than he cared to think about. He just didn't know what to do about Harley.

Ever since the others had left, he'd felt like he was under pressure to "take over" as the leader, being the most experienced Guardian, and there was just no way he was comfortable with that. It wasn't that he couldn't lead - he'd lead his team on occasion - but that assuming the position of leader smothered him in anxiety. Molehills became mountains and mistakes became ten times more likely with results that were twenty times worse.

All that had been bad enough before Harley's disappearance. Now, it was practically unbearable. He knew Jade would look up to him and expect him to know what to do, and he knew that because he was one of the only Guardians in the Tower with slightly deeper knowledge of the Hive and Oryx, other Guardians like Liv would look to him for answers. He was crossing the plaza when something rustled in the tree above him. Upon looking up, he was met with the sight of Liv perched on one of the wider branches, one leg swinging in the air as she cleaned her gun. Rhys hovered next to her. His shell was pentagon-shaped, colored yellow and black; and his eye glowed red. _Speak of the devil…_

Now that she was no longer wearing a helmet, Kaedro was able to see that she had dark purple hair that she wore in a shaggy pixie cut. Her glowing golden eyes flicked over to him for a second before returning to the gun.

"Hey," said Kaedro. She hummed in a reply that Kaedro thought could be a greeting. "Mind if I come up?"

Liv made another noncommittal sound that he chose to take as assent. He pulled himself up into the tree, hands finding easy purchase on the many knots and grooves in its bark. Soon he was sitting on the branch next to Liv. He'd expected her to ask him why he was there, but instead, she continued to clean her gun, seemingly intent on the task. Up close, Kaedro noticed that she had a tattoo on her left bicep. It appeared to be a string of five symbols, none of them familiar.

"What language is that?" he asked.

Liv turned to look at him in confusion. "What?"

"Your tattoo. What language is it in?"

She glanced at her arm. "Oh... It's the language of the Awoken. I got it a little while after I was revived. It says 'light'... Pretty cheesy, no?"

"...Not the worst I've seen."

"Hm. So what brings you?"

"I just wanted to see what you had in mind for how we should find Ace, given that he wasn't anywhere on the Dreadnaught."

"Mmm," said Liv, "Yeah… I'm working on it."

Kaedro eyed her skeptically. "No offense," he said, "But the only thing you seem to be working on is just sitting there."

"Kaedro!" Jyn admonished.

"Don't worry, it's a completely rational conclusion," said Rhys, "That's what she does _most_ of the time."

"Are you calling me lazy?" said Liv, turning to eye him.

"Yeah," her Ghost replied, "I am."

Liv shrugged and turned back to her gun. "Fair enough… Anyway, Kaedro, you'd be surprised at what I could accomplish by sitting in this one place. For instance, right now I'm waiting for Kai to get back to me on the Vanguard's decision."

"What do you mean? What decision?"

"Obviously, we can't accomplish much in a place we know jack squat about. So I asked Kai if she'd go to Zavala about getting permission to run a recon mission on the Dreadnaught." She shrugged again. "We're probably going to use it to look for Oryx, but who knows? Maybe the intel will help us find your friend."

Kaedro sighed, all of the sudden feeling incredibly stupid. "I should've thought of that," he said bitterly, "I'm a _tactician_ for crying out loud! This is the stuff I'm supposed to think about so I don't rush into things like a damn fool!"

"Don't be so hard on yourself. You're going through a tough time right now."

He scoffed. "Nothing compared to what Ace must be going through."

Liv sighed. "You're right. And I'm not saying he has it easy or anything. But you have to know that it's affecting you too. You're under a ton of stress, so it's understandable if you're not at 100%."

Kaedro sighed again. "I guess so…"

Liv opened her mouth, but whatever she planned to say next was cut off by the arrival of Kai. Kaedro could see now that the Titan was human, with olive-toned skin and hazel eyes. Her hair was an inky black that streamed in loose waves down to the center of her back. She met eyes with Liv. "He signed off on it. The plan is for us to start by investigating the Skyburner ship tomorrow."

Liv's eyebrows scrunched together. "If we're dealing with the Hive, why're we wasting time looking at the _Cabal_?"

"They've been there longest," said Kaedro, earning the stares of both Guardians. He shrugged. "They're bound to have intel on the place they're stuck in."

Liv nodded slowly. "I see… So how are we planning to run this? Blast our way in?" Her yellow eyes glinted mischievously.

Kai shook her head. "That's a terrible idea."

Kaedro nodded in agreement. "We should try not to draw any unnecessary attention to ourselves."

Liv sighed. "Fine. Espionage then… I'm decent at that, too."

"Alright," said Kaedro, "Sounds like a plan… I'll see you guys tomorrow."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so I have some news. First of all, sorry about the delay but also know that there will probably be another one until my beta returns from a trip. Second off, I ran a week-long poll on my Twitter to determine whether or not Jade/Harley would become canon. It was back-and-forth for a while but at the time of me writing this...
> 
> It's goddamn 50-50. 
> 
> So that's pretty great.
> 
> Not completely sure how to solve it, so why don't you guys make your case in the reviews as to why (or why not) Jade/Harley should become a thing. Hopefully, we can reach a decision soon.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy Fireteam Calypso, 'cause they'll be sticking around. You can also expect to see them in my Incorrect Chasing Fate Quotes.
> 
> Leave your opinions (if you have them) about Jade/Harley in the reviews and I'll see you in the next chapter!  
> \- TheWolfParadox


	10. Enemy of My Enemy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The storm, previously on the horizon, has arrived, plunging the system into chaos. The City is in more danger than ever as new enemies arise in the Plaguelands and old ones return from the Deep. Technology running rampant. A father with a score to settle. There is only one solution: divide and conquer. But sometimes even the Sky can fall to the Deep.

**"The world is not built on the laws they love. Not on friendship, but on mutual interest. Not on peace, but on victory by any means. The universe is run by extinction, by extermination, by gamma-ray bursts burning up a thousand garden worlds, by howling singularities eating up infant suns." - XXXII: Majestic. Majestic.**

* * *

Gunshots rang through the air and explosions shook the ground underneath them as the Cabal waged war on the Hive. Jade peered around the slab of broken stone she and the others were using as shelter. "Why are the Cabal fighting so hard?" she whispered, "It's a _crashed_ ship."

Zavala's voice rang out over the comms, his tone grave. " _That's not a crash site, it's a beachhead."_

"What makes you so sure?" asked Kaedro, "Looks a lot like a crash site to me, sir."

" _Wait until you get inside to make that assessment."_

"Which of us going in?" asked Tristan.

"Me," said Liv, "Duh."

"What?" said Kaedro, "It should be _me_."

"Why? 'Cause you're Hayden's friend? Who's the Bladedancer here?"

"Why does that matter?" said Kaedro defensively.

"Only Bladedancer's can do _this._ " And all of a sudden, Liv vanished. The only evidence that she was still there was slight shimmering in the air.

"How did you do that?" asked Jade in amazement.

"I activated my cloak," said Liv, "It's a Bladedancer ability."

"I've never seen Harley do _that_."

"It's not something we like to broadcast... Anyway, I'll just be going now."

Jade heard soft footsteps as the Hunter left them, making her way toward the Cabal ship. The rest of them sat in tense silence as they waited for her to speak. Finally, she came over the comms. " _Just got in. What's next?"_

_"Cabal protocol is to detonate any ship that crashes,"_ said Zavala, " _If they haven't after all this time, it can only be a base of operations. They're looking for something on the Dreadnaught… See what they know about Oryx."_

Silence reigned briefly before another voice made itself known. " _There's a terminal over there,"_ said Rhys, " _Let's see what we can get."_

_"Hmm...Well, it looks like the Cabal found Oryx. Bad news is, he's in the center of the Dreadnaught. Only way to get to him is through something called a 'rupture,' apparently."_

_"It must be some kind of portal,"_ said Zavala, " _Have the Cabal found one?"_

_"Yeah they've got a team heading there."_

Zavala sighed. " _Then I suggest you get there first."_

_"Alright,"_ said Liv, " _You guys, head around the ship and meet me on the other side. We need to get to that rupture."_

"Will do," said Kaedro. He turned to the others. "Let's move."

Jade followed Kaedro as he moved down to the right side of the crashed ship. They picked their way through a tangle of wreckage and flashing lights, following the ship until they came to another open area. The place was filled with debris and crumbling pillars. A few platforms could be seen and secluded on the leftmost one was a small team of Cabal fighting off a larger Taken force. Jade had never felt sympathy for the Cabal before, but the Taken were a hundred times worse than they were.

As they watched the two sides battle, Liv rejoined them. "It's not looking good for those Cabal," she remarked.

Indeed, the Cabal forces were steadily getting picked off by the surrounding Taken. Suddenly, a rift popped into existence above the Cabal Centurion's head, ensnaring it. Jade watched in shock as the Centurion was sucked into the rift, disappearing. " _That's_ what it looks like?" she shivered, "Now I really feel sorry for the Cabal."

"Oryx just Took a Centurion," said Kai.

" _Let him take all he wants,"_ said Zavala, " _He won't be around long enough for it to matter."_

"I can take care of the Taken," said Tristan.

Jade watched him curiously and for a moment she thought she could almost feel the energy as it was pulled to his fingertips. Then he drew his arm back and she briefly saw a purple sphere growing in his palm before he hurled it forward. The sphere sailed toward the Taken with a whoosh, impacting the ground with a burst of Void energy. The Taken vanished, shrieking into nothingness.

"What was _that?_ "

"Just a Nova Bomb," said Tristan, "...All Voidwalkers can do it."

"I've never seen a Voidwalker before," said Jade, "There haven't been many Guardians around since I was revived."

"Right," said Kaedro, "Let's go check out that rupture." The group made their way over to the far right platform, upon the end of which they found something resembling a frame.

"I wouldn't get my hopes up for _this_ portal," said Liv, "Looks pretty useless."

" _Eris, what's their next move?"_ asked Zavala.

" _Toland spoke of statues the Hive use to navigate ruptures."_

"I read about those," said Jade in surprise, "I'm pretty sure they'll be close by."

"Ok, then let's split up," said Kaedro, "We'll be able to find them faster that way."

The others nodded in agreement, then they spread out around the room to search. Jade was the first to find one. It was on the next platform over. She didn't think it looked like any one thing in particular, but the design was very Hive-esque.

Delta scanned it. "We found one!" she said, "They _are_ linked to the rupture, but I can't make sense of how the Hive control them. I'll send you all the data."

" _Keep looking for more statues,"_ said Kaedro.

A few minutes later, Kai found one. " _Scanning it now… Felix, what did you get?"_

" _The statues appear to control where the rupture leads,"_ the Ghost replied, his voice distorted by an accent that Jade was able to place as British from her memories of the past. " _They might very well be able to get us to Oryx."_

" _I found another one!"_ said Liv, " _Hang on…"_

" _This one's dead,"_ said Rhys, sounding unimpressed, " _But it looks like something's happening at the rupture."_

Jade whirled to look and saw an orb of light hovering in the center of the portal. As she watched, it violently expanded to fill the frame, glowing a greenish-black and filled with specks of light like stars. "It's opening!" she said.

A symphony of surprise and disbelief answered her before one voice rose above the rest. "Incoming Thrall!" yelled Kai.

Sure enough, Thrall were rushing out of the portal. "Shoot them down!" said Liv.

Gunfire poured into the portal, but it seemed that for each Thrall that was killed, another popped up to take its place. "Ugh! They won't stop coming!"

" _Forget about them!"_ Zavala commanded, " _Get through the rupture!"_

Jade was closest, so she launched into a glide, floating over the horde of screeching Thrall. But instead of passing through the portal, she bounced off some kind of invisible barrier and drifted to the floor. "It won't let me through!" she called to the others.

" _Then it's true,"_ said Eris, " _Only the Ascendant can will a rupture to open."_

Then the portal began to warp and Jade quickly retreated to where the others stood. " _Uh, something Ascendant is coming through right now,"_ said Rhys.

They waited, eyes fixed on the portal to see what could be passing through. Blurry shapes forced their way through the portal, resolving themselves into a squadron of Taken Knights and Acolytes headed by a kind of Taken that Jade had never seen before.

The creature was humanoid, looking for the most part the same way all Taken did. Its legs shone a glowing white that faded into greyish-blue and then to black at its head and its eyes shone harsh against its face. But Jade could tell something was different. Looking closer, she saw that its armor was not typical of any of the races she'd seen. In fact, if she had to guess, she'd say it most resembled the kind worn by _Guardians_. A tattered rag hung from the Taken's shoulders, wavering as it moved. Jade stared at it, wondering why it seemed so familiar.

All at once, the pieces clicked into place. The armor _was_ Guardian armor and that rag was the cloak of a Hunter. All sound vanished and for one seemingly infinite moment, all she could do was stare across a silent battleground at the horrible figure that had emerged from the rupture. A creature that was not horrible simply because it was Taken, but because it was the shadow of someone Jade had trusted with her life as they faced danger together. She turned to look at Kaedro and saw that the Hunter was looking back. As their gazes locked through their helmets, Jade found herself consumed by one single thought… _We never saw_ this _coming._

As the Taken continued forward, Jade saw Kai level her gun at them. Her world jolted to a start and she sprang forward with a cry, intending to knock the Titan off her feet. But Kai was much taller and denser than Jade, so running into her felt like trying to budge a pile of sandbags. Still, it distracted the Titan enough that she switched her focus.

"Why would you do _that_?" she demanded.

"You can't sh-shoot him!" said Jade her words coming in gasps, "You c-can't!"

"Wrythal, you ok?" asked Liv, sounding concerned.

"I think she may be hyperventilating," offered Tristan.

A blast from one of the Knights hit the floor next to them, causing them to jump.

"We need to get to cover!" said Liv. Her words were directed at Kaedro, who hadn't spoken a word. "Kaedro!" Groaning at the lack of response, she turned back to the others. "We have to move _now_."

She continued to throw out orders but Jade couldn't concentrate on anything the Hunter was saying. She felt cold all over and her vision took on an odd quality as everything became simultaneously harsher and yet drained of color. Suddenly, her legs wobbled underneath her, as though they could no longer hold her up. Then Liv's voice came into sharp relief.

"Kai, you take Wrythal. I don't think she'll make it on her own. I'll snap Kaedro out of it."

Jade felt her legs sweep out from under her as the Titan picked her up and began running toward a toppled pillar some distance away. Distantly, Jade could hear the Taken screeching and firing in the background. Once they reached the pillar, Kai unceremoniously dumped her on the floor behind it before drawing her weapon and kneeling down next to her. Tristan joined them, kneeling on Jade's other side. He briefly touched her shoulder in encouragement before switching out his auto rifle for a scout. Then Liv and Kaedro joined them.

"You good, Jade?" asked Liv. Jade nodded, making a conscious effort to take deep breaths. "Good. I thought you were going into shock for a second there. By the way, what made you shove Kai?"

"I'd like to know that too," said the Titan.

"I couldn't let her shoot him," said Jade.

Liv cocked her head to the side. "Shoot who?"

"Harley! I couldn't let her shoot him!"

" _Harley_? What do you mean?"

Jade stared at the Hunter in disbelief, struggling for words to explain. Did she really not see?

Kaedro sighed. "It was him, Liv… Ace was the one leading those Taken out of the rupture."

" _What_?" said Kai sharply.

Jade shook her head. "It's true. When we couldn't find him here before, we assumed a rift was the source of Taken energy corrupting his comm signal. But instead...instead…"

"We understand," said Tristan reassuringly, "We're not going to shoot him."

Kai let out a huff. "Well, this complicates things…"

"Yeah," said Liv, "I don't think we can successfully fight off the Taken without hurting him."

"Then we should leave," said Tristan, "We have enough intel on the rupture for now."

"I hate leaving those _things_ alive," said Kai, "But if we can't afford to hit Hayden, it just puts us in more danger."

Liv nodded. "Let's go… Don't let them see you."

With that, she moved to the head of the group. Kaedro followed, silent once more. Tristan was right behind him but kept glancing back at Jade to make sure she was still with them. Kai brought up the rear. Once they were far enough out of range, the Titan went back on the comms.

"Sir? I don't know how much of that you saw but we're pulling out."

" _I saw all of it,"_ said Zavala sounding more solemn than Jade had ever heard him, " _You did the right thing. This...turn of events must be explored further before action is taken."_

" _We were still able to learn about the rupture,"_ Rhys pointed out.

" _It will only open for Ascendant Hive,"_ said Eris.

"If that's the case, then how do we reach Oryx?" asked Liv.

" _You must become your enemy... Become Ascendant."_ Jade let out a pained noise. " _...Apologies,"_ said Eris, " _I did not mean it in the way you're thinking. I...am truly sorry for Hayden's fate."_

Zavala sighed. " _We'll sort this out… Head back to the Tower."_

* * *

Kaedro couldn't stop thinking about it. They were all in the Vanguard's room for the mission debriefing but he couldn't concentrate on a single thing that was happening. All he could see in his mind's eye was the _thing_ that was Harley coming out of the rupture. That was why when Zavala directed something at him, he wasn't paying attention, causing the Titan to clear his throat loudly.

Kaedro snapped back into focus and Zavala sighed. "I understand that you have a lot on your mind, Hunter, however, Cayde and Ikora must be brought up to speed on your mission. I've already shared the majority of the details with them, but I would like your input on what happened at the rupture."

"Why?" Kaedro demanded, "You were watching through Liv's Ghost, weren't you?"

"...I will excuse your attitude under the circumstances, but we would appreciate your cooperation in this."

Kaedro sighed. "Fine." He turned to look at Ikora and Cayde. "We were scanning the statues that control the rupture when the rupture opened. It let out a bunch of Taken and...and Ace was leading them."

Ikora exchanged a glance with Cayde. "Does this mean Harley has turned to the Darkness?"

Kaedro shook his head. "No. It's worse… He's been Taken by Oryx." Ikora's eyes widened.

" _Shit_ ," said Cayde. He gave a hollow laugh. "That kid's gotta have the worst luck of anyone I've ever met."

"You don't say," said Kaedro, "Anyway, I'd like to know how we plan to fix this."

Kai shot him a funny look. "Fix what?"

" _Ace_! Reverse his Taken-ness! Fix him!"

"And what makes you think that's possible?"

Kaedro fell silent. The truth was, he hadn't thought that far in. He tried to come up with anything to say, but couldn't think of a single thing.

Luckily, Cayde spoke up. "Whoa there, Debbie Downer. What makes ya think we _can't_? If Oryx found a way to change him, we just gotta find a way to change him back."

Kaedro shot the other Exo a grateful look. However, Ikora was frowning. "The thing is, Cayde, we don't know _how_ Oryx changed him in the first place. All we know about his power is that it takes the will from whichever host it infects. Without knowing the source of the power, we are a long way from being able to reverse its effects."

"Actually, we _do_ know the source," said Jade. Everyone turned to look at her in surprise. "I was researching the Hive for a while. I even shared some of my findings with Kaedro." Kaedro thought back. He vaguely remembered some of the things she'd told him but there'd been a _lot_ of information. "Oryx killed the Worm God Akka to learn how to talk to the Darkness - or the Deep, as the Hive call it. That's how he became the Taken King."

"His powers came from the Darkness?" said Zavala.

Cayde gasped dramatically. "Who woulda ever _thought_?!"

"If Oryx...Takes things through the Darkness, is it possible that we could...reverse it through the Light?" asked Tristan.

Ikora tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Our knowledge on both the Darkness and the Light has yet to be completed," she said, "It's difficult to tell what would happen."

"It's damn well worth a try," said Cayde, "I ain't given up on Ace now... I owe him after all that Osiris stuff."

"We all do," Ikora replied. She shook her head. "I still don't understand how I could be so blind to believe that."

"In your defense, you _did_ take some convincin'. But that doesn't matter. What matters is we gotta figure out a way to get Ace back _here_ so we can give this thing a shot."

"Easy," said Liv, "Next time we see him, we grab him."

" _If_ there's a next time..." said Kai, "We have no guarantee that he'll show up again."

"Oh he will," said Eris.

"Holycrap!" exclaimed Cayde. Kaedro spun around, giving a start at how close the ex-Guardian was.

"From what I know of Oryx, he would not create a weapon he didn't plan to wield."

"Do you _have_ to sneak up on us like that?" said Cayde, "I don't need ya landin' me in an early grave. When or _if_ I _do_ go out for the last time, I want it to be blaze-of-glory style."

Eris shot the Hunter an unamused look. Kaedro decided to focus on what she'd said. "So you think Ace'll turn up again?"

Eris nodded. "Oryx Took him to send a message. It would suit him well to send one of your own against you."

"Ominous as always, Eris!" said Cayde cheerfully.

Zavala sighed. "The mission will continue as normal. We now know that only Ascendant Hive can use ruptures...Eris?"

"To reach Oryx, you must walk in the dying footsteps of his son."

" _Crota?"_ said Kaedro, "What does _he_ have to do with 'becoming Ascendant?'"

"The crystal the Wakers were using to transport him to our realm may still hold a fragment of his soul," said Eris, "You will use it to pass through the rupture."

"This mission will not require all of you," Zavala began, "If you would-"

"I'm going!" said Kaedro and Jade simultaneously.

"Very well," said the Titan, "I believe Wrythal has some experience with the Chamber of Night."

Jade nodded. "I won't be forgetting it in a hurry."

Zavala nodded. "You will depart tomorrow. Fireteam Calypso will be aiding the war effort in other areas. Kaedro and Wrythal, you're dismissed… Marko, I'll be giving you your next assignment."

Kaedro turned and left with Jade. They began making their way toward the mess hall. Suddenly, a familiar voice hailed them. "Jade! Kaedro!" Kaedro glanced around and saw Prism float over to them. "Any news?" asked the Ghost anxiously.

Kaedro gave a heavy sigh. "Yeah. It's bad."

"Oh." Prism seemed to deflate.

"We know what happened to Ace. He was Taken by Oryx."

"Taken?! ...N-not Taken as in…?"

"Afraid so."

"No!" the Ghost sounded horrified, "Is there any way to reverse it?"

"We think so," Jade said gently, "There's no concrete proof, but we believe the effects can be reversed with Light."

Prism's response was determined. "...Then that's what we have to do. Do you have a plan?"

"We're pretty sure we'll meet him again," reasoned Kaedro, "So when we do, we're gonna bring him back here… I think if we bother Oryx enough, he'll send him after us."

Jade's answering tone was wry. "Well, then stealing a piece of his son's soul is sure to get the job done."

"What?!" blurted Prism.

Kaedro gave a small chuckle. "We're going to steal a piece of Crota's soul-crystal to get through the rupture… We leave for the Moon tomorrow."

"Ok. Well, good luck. And if you see Harley...try not to hurt him."

"That's a promise, Prism."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not gonna lie, I almost forgot I had a chapter to post. But I did have this weird feeling that I was forgetting something. Guess it all worked out. Anyway, no decision has been made on the Jade/Harley business yet, so if you want to make your opinion heard, now would be the time ;)
> 
> \- TheWolfParadox


	11. Corrupted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The storm, previously on the horizon, has arrived, plunging the system into chaos. The City is in more danger than ever as new enemies arise in the Plaguelands and old ones return from the Deep. Technology running rampant. A father with a score to settle. There is only one solution: divide and conquer. But sometimes even the Sky can fall to the Deep.

**"And if life is to live, if anything is to survive through the end of all things, it will live not by the smile but by the sword, not in a soft place but in a hard hell, not in the rotting bog of artificial paradise but in the cold hard self-verifying truth of that one ultimate arbiter, the only judge, the power that is its own metric and its own source - existence, at any cost." - XXXII: Majestic. Majestic**

* * *

Kaedro sat at the desk in his room, staring at the gun that he held in his hands. The hand cannon was maroon and bronze, its grip worn with use. Coloring aside, it resembled any other hand cannon. But Kaedro knew this one well.

He knew it contained 12 rounds and that its shots did corrosive damage to their targets. He also knew that it had a name: The Freelancer. You could only see someone pull out a particular gun so many times before asking about it and Kaedro had seen Harley use this hand cannon ever since he'd met him.

"He calls it his lucky gun, you know."

Kaedro turned and saw that Prism was hovering next to him. "Really?"

"Yep. He built it himself using the parts from other guns... He was planning on adding more modifiers to it eventually."

"Well, if I have anything to say about it, he'll still have the chance..."

* * *

Kaedro looked around as they passed through the World's Grave on the way to the Chamber of Night. "Kinda weird that we haven't been attacked yet…"

"Yeah," said Jade, "Fyr and I definitely had a lot more problems in here than we've had so far." Kaedro nodded. He wondered where all the Hive were. "Speaking of Fyr…" Jade continued, "We should contact the others and update them on what happened."

"Already did," said Kaedro, "I talked to Rae last night."

"Oh… How did she take it?"

Kaedro shrugged. "'Bout as well as you'd expect… Lots of cursing. She even said she'd call off Saladin's mission to come back here, but I told her not to."

"Did she tell you anything about what they've been doing?"

"She said something about taking out 'Splicer artillery cannons,' whatever that means." He glanced around to make sure nothing was sneaking up on them. "Oh shit."

A Thrall was hunched over a few feet away, appearing to be eating something.

"Do we shoot it?" asked Jade.

Kaedro shook his head. "Not if we can sneak past it. Thrall're pretty loud. No sense in bringing more Hive down on us."

Then Eris came over the comms. " _If the Thrall still feed, Crota's essence must endure."_

"Great," said Kaedro, "...Let's keep going."

They continued through the Hive fortress, eventually coming upon a large chamber with high ceilings. Broken pieces of a dark crystal sat in the middle.

"This is the place," said Jade, "This is where Fyr and I stopped the Wakers from summoning Crota."

"Right. Well, let's just grab a chunk of that crystal and get the hell out of here."

They approached the center of the ritual site. But as they did so, a large shape moved out from behind the opposite cave wall. "Ogre!" yelled Jade.

The two Guardians open fired at the Ogre's face as it lumbered toward them. But just as Kaedro felt they were making progress, a rift appeared, sucking the Ogre out of existence. "What the hell?! Did Oryx just Take an Ogre?"

" _It doesn't matter!"_ said Eris, " _You must retrieve a shard of that crystal!"_

Jade moved forward, letting Delta out. The Ghost cut out a sizeable piece of the crystal and stored it away before vanishing once more. "We've got it," said Jade.

" _I knew it could be done. And does it still hold the whisper of Crota's soul?"_

Delta sighed. " _Unfortunately, according to my analysis, it's empty."_

_"No matter,"_ said Eris, " _Return to me and we will destroy…"_ The comm signal was suddenly overcome with static.

"Did you hear that?" said Jade.

"Yeah," said Kaedro, "Can't be anything good."

The signal was fizzling in and out, allowing them to hear snatches of Cayde and Eris talking. " _-ade, Kay, we're losin' you. Kay can you hear-"_

"Cayde?" asked Kaedro, "Cayde, you there? Eris?"

" _We've lost them,"_ said Jyn, " _Something's blocking the signal_ and _the transmat."_

All of a sudden, a shrieking howl rang out, echoing through the chamber and fog materialized in front of them, taking the shape of Oryx. " **Infection! Your Light dies here!"**

A Taken rift appeared, resolving into an all-too-familiar form. "Ace?!"

Indeed, Harley was now standing in front of them looking the same as he had when they'd seen him on the Dreadnaught. A sword was brandished in his right hand, its blade wreathed in black flames. He stepped toward them but something caused him to pause, cocking his head. Kaedro looked over to Jade, who had her fusion rifle trained on their friend.

She looked back at him. "...I can't shoot him," she whispered, shaking her head.

"I know," said Kaedro.

She lowered her gun and Harley resumed his advance. Kaedro and Jade retreated before him. _Grenades are out, guns are out, and knives are out. How do we stop him without hurting him?_ Then he got an idea.

"Jade! Can you distract him?"

"Um, sure…" She picked up a small rock from the ground and threw it at Harley. "Hey!" The rock hit him on the shoulder and he turned to face Jade. "Ok. I got his attention, but please hurry!"

"Right."

Kaedro stopped moving, centering himself as he reached for the Void. He felt the bow appear in his hands as he aimed it at Harley's feet. He pulled back and released the arrow, watching it turn into an orb of Void energy on impact. A purple tendril shot out, attaching itself to Harley, who gave an inhuman screech as he dropped the sword.

Kaedro knew the tether would only last for so long and was moving before the blade hit the ground. He scooped up a decently-sized rock and smashed it into the back of Harley's head, earning a sympathetic noise from Jade. Instantly, the Taken Guardian crumpled to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut. At the same time, rifts materialized in the air as more Taken arrived.

"Shit we gotta go!" Wasting no time, Kaedro scooped up his friend, throwing him over a shoulder. He shivered at the dark energy that emanated from Harley. "Run!" he shouted.

Jade whirled in front of him and began to move, Kaedro close behind her. They passed back the way they came, dodging the Taken that appeared in their path, filling the Hive fortress.

" _Eris, are you there?"_ asked Jyn. She sighed. " _There's still no connection."_

"This might be how the Hive trapped her!" said Jade.

The Guardians sprinted into the area leading to the World's Grave, but Kaedro stopped in his tracks when he saw the door was locked and guarded. "Great… Jade, could you take them out?" Jade nodded, pulling out her fusion rifle. Soon, the Taken were blasted into ashes. "Jyn, could you check out that door?"

Jyn appeared in front of him. "On it." She flew forward to scan the lock. "I can't figure out how this lock works… Doors used to be so easy."

"...There was something in Toland's journal about Hive doors," said Jade.

"Toland?" said Kaedro, "Like the crazy Warlock who was obsessed with the Hive?"

"Yes. I believe he said Hive Tomb Husks could open Hive locks."

"Tomb Husk…" Kaedro looked around the room before he noticed a floating black orb off to the right. "Is that what we're looking for?"

Jade followed his gaze, then moved to retrieve the orb. "Maybe," she said as she brought it back to the door. When she got close, the orb seemed to dissolve, causing the lock to vanish.

"Let's go!" said Kaedro.

They sprinted up the flight of stairs on the other side and into another dark room with Taken Acolytes. Jade cleared the first few, then led the way down some stairs onto the ground floor of the chamber. They scrambled through as fast as they could, exiting the other door into a larger chamber filled with craggy rocks that poked out of the uneven ground like broken teeth. The door at the end was sealed with two locks instead of one this time. Kaedro drew his auto rifle to repel the Taken while Jade scanned the area for Tomb Husks. It wasn't long before she brought back one from an upper platform and one from a deeper section of the room.

"Nice job," said Kaedro before he followed her out.

They ran up a steeper flight of stairs and through a walkway that overlooked a seemingly bottomless pit. As they made for the door at the other end of the walkway, Eris' voice came back over the comms, crackling with static.

" _We're going to lose them...just like Eriana."_

"That's not worrying at all…" said Kaedro.

" _At least the signal is getting stronger,"_ said Delta.

The walkway let out into a room that was completely black except for a small patch of ground in the middle that was illuminated by yet another Tomb Husk.

Jade glanced at Kaedro before grabbing it. "Just in case…"

They passed up some stairs to the right and entered a circular chamber containing another locked door. " _Again_?" said Kaedro, "Really?"

"It's three locks this time," said Jade, "At least they're putting in effort." She turned to him and shoved the Tomb Husk into his free hand. "Hold this for a moment."

Kaedro watched as her form began to glow, softly at first, but then brighter and brighter as four fiery wings shot out of her back. She summoned a stream of grenades, hurling them at every Taken in sight. Soon, the room was full of nothing but burning orbs of Solar Light, which soon faded away, leaving it as dark as before. Kaedro approached the door, releasing the first Tomb Husk. Jade spent several minutes searching before she came up with two more. The door opened and they began to run again. Kaedro's limbs were shaking from the strain of carrying Harley's dead weight up so many flights of stairs. Then Eris spoke again. He'd never been more glad to hear her voice in his life and he doubted he'd ever feel that way again.

" _Guardians? Get out of that pit! We must have that crystal or we'll never reach Oryx!"_

"Glad to know you care so much," Kaedro grumbled.

Truthfully, he'd all but forgotten why they'd gone down there in the first place, what with everything that had happened after finding the crystal. Ahead of him, Jade's steps seemed to come more confidently, letting him know that they were nearing the exit. He pushed himself to go faster, jumping over a horde of Taken Thrall blocking the path and before he knew it, they were emerging out of the Temple of Crota onto the Moon's surface.

" _Kay? That you?"_ asked Cayde.

"Yep," said Kaedro, winded, "Made it."

" _Then the Taken King will fall,"_ said Eris, " _Bring me his dead son's crystal."_

_"That's how Eris says she appreciates your sacrifice,"_ said Cayde dryly, " _Glad you two're still alive."_

"Yeah. And you're not gonna believe what else we found…"

* * *

They had just entered the plaza when everything went wrong. Kaedro felt Harley's weight vanish from his shoulder. Alarms rang out in his head and he instinctively dropped to the floor, hearing something swish over his head.

He looked up and saw the Taken Hunter standing over him with two long knives that shimmered with dark energy. Harley flicked them into a reverse grip and moved with a blur of speed, stabbing downward at Kaedro. Luckily, he'd been expecting that and swung his legs out into Harley's ankles, causing him to stumble.

Kaedro rolled backward out of reach, pulling out his hand cannon and aiming it at his friend's chest. But his grip faltered when he noticed that it was not his gun he held, but Harley's Freelancer. Harley, for his part, continued forward, undaunted by the weapon being pointed at him.

Kaedro glanced over to Jade, who stood frozen a few feet away. He made a tiny motion with his free hand for her to back up. With a small nod, she retreated back in the direction of the Hangar. Kaedro was still on the ground edging backward when he met eyes with her again and shot a look to his left toward the entrance to the Hall of Guardians. Another nod told him that his message had gotten across and he let himself relax just a little bit. Now all he had to do was distract Harley until backup arrived.

He forced himself to look up into the empty white eyes of his friend and brought his hand up in a 'stop' motion as he put the Freelancer back in his holster. His gesture had no effect as the Hunter continued to advance, but he ignored it, putting his other hand up. Suddenly, he heard a shuffle on the other side of Harley.

The Taken Guardian froze for a split second before whirling and throwing one of his knives at the spot where Jade had been with inhuman speed.

Kaedro lept into action, lunging forward to grab Harley's wrist before he could throw the other one, hissing as he did so. The Hunter was burning cold to the touch.

Harley spun back and regarded Kaedro coldly for a second before plunging the knife into his chest where it met his shoulder. Kaedro's other hand came up to clutch at the spot as he choked back a wordless scream. It felt like he'd been impaled by a shard of ice. A freezing chill spread through his body and all he could do was stare as Harley's hand left the knife's hilt to seize him by the throat. He gasped and coughed, grabbing onto his friend's arm to force his hand away. As the Taken's grip tightened, Kaedro tried in vain to break his hold any way he could think of.

"Ace… Don't… do it." There was no reaction to his words but all he could do was keep trying. "Please... Ace... Stop."

Harley's grip tightened further and Kaedro was pretty sure the end was coming. His vision flickered like his optics were short-circuiting.

Then he heard a loud _thwack_ and Harley collapsed in front of him, his hand falling away.

Kaedro heaved in huge breaths and clasped his hand to his neck, feeling for any damage. Fortunately there didn't seem to be any sign of it and he got to his feet.

Lord Shaxx stood in front of him, apparently having been the one to punch out Harley. Kaedro felt himself sway backward and the Titan put a hand on his shoulder to steady him. "You alright, Kaedro?" he asked.

Kaedro nodded. "I'm fine. " Shaxx nodded back, dropping his hand. Kaedro glanced around. "Where's...oh."

Jade had just run up, followed by the Vanguard.

Cayde whistled as he surveyed the scene. "Looks like someone gave ya a little souvenir there, Kay." He motioned to his own chest and Kaedro looked down at the knife.

"...Forgot it was there, to be honest." He grasped the hilt and pulled the knife out. He held it for a moment and the Vanguard stared at it as though they were seeing an omen of the apocalypse. Then, the blade dissolved before his eyes, melting away into wispy black smoke. "What was _that_?"

"There is no way to know," said Ikora, "Before this...we were largely unaware of the existence of the Taken in the first place. All of our information is fairly new. We had no idea anything like this was even possible…" She trailed off, looking down at Harley's prone form.

"We should get you to the med bay, Kaedro," said Jade with concern, "Whatever that knife was made of couldn't have been good."

Zavala nodded. "Yes. We'll be taking Hayden down there anyway."

"I can assist with that," said Shaxx. He bent down, scooping the Hunter up before leading the group off towards the med bay.

As Kaedro followed the Titan, he heard Cayde mutter an aside to Ikora, "It'll take a lot more than beds and Band-Aids to fix this one."

* * *

Kaedro eyed the room skeptically through the thick glass.

The walls and floor were both made of some type of unrecognizable metal and the only door was barred with three separate security clearances. The lone bed, at first appearing to be an average hospital bed, had retractable metal bars that could bind the occupant in place. Nearly everything in the room was fixed to the floor and Kaedro had been told that the glass through which he was staring was actually a one-way mirror.

"Why is this room here? And why didn't I know about it?" It wasn't like he was a regular in the med bay or anything, but he'd been there before and he was pretty sure he'd never seen this room.

"The existence of this room is kept from those without a certain level of clearance," said Ikora.

"...Ok, but what's it for?"

"In the event of something happening like what happened to Harley."

"Is this how you figure out how to fix him?"

Ikora sighed, rubbing her forehead. "If he can be cured, then yes. However, that must wait until Oryx is dealt with. We can't stall this war for just one Guardian."

"Then you're just gonna keep him in here?"

"He is too dangerous to be let out. We will monitor him and learn what we can about his condition."

Kaedro sighed. "Fine."

Then Zavala's voice came over the comms. " _Kaedro, Ikora, your presence is requested in the Hub."_

"We're on our way," said Ikora.

A few minutes later, Kaedro and Ikora walked into the Vanguard's room. Zavala and Jade looked up from where they'd been talking. The Titan beckoned them over. Kaedro crossed the room, casting a curious glance at Eris and Cayde, who seemed to be working together on something.

"Good, you're here," said Zavala.

"What are Cayde and Eris doing?" asked Kaedro.

"They are running a mission in the Cosmodrome," the Vanguard Commander replied, a disapproving tone in his voice.

"Why?"

"To assist Fireteam Calypso in stealing technology from Rasputin."

"Hey! We're _borrowin'_ it!" said Cayde, "And-" He paused to glance at a monitor in front of him. "Oh, that _does_ look bad. Ok, so if you see 'em, uh, just shoot 'em... How'd they even get in there?"

"The Taken are not bound by terrestrial constraints," said Eris as though it were obvious.

"Yeah? I'll bet they'll be constrained by terrestrial bullets." He shot a wink at Kaedro.

"What're they taking from Rasputin?" Kaedro asked.

Zavala sighed. "Codes for cloaking technology. That crystal you brought back was empty but Eris believes you can return to Crota's Throneworld and steal his soul to get you through the rupture."

"The Hellmouth again? And here I was thinking we were done with that place…"

"Marko has requested that she be sent in with you to get the job done. You will leave in the morning... Hopefully, by this time tomorrow, we'll be done with Oryx and the Taken."

Kaedro highly doubted that, but he nodded all the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, long time no see. I planned on uploading this chapter on Wednesday in keeping with my usual schedule but then I thought, "what the hell?" A very warm welcome back to my beta, EmeryldLuk, who just recently returned from her vacation.
> 
> On another note, I've received a lot of reviews regarding Jade/Harley and I believe I've come to a decision (or something of the sort). I think I can see why so many of you support this pairing, but while it's something that could very well happen in the future, it won't be happening in this story. I'm not sure either of them are in the right headspace for a relationship as things stand right now. But like I said, it's a definite possibility in future stories.
> 
> Reminder for anyone interested: my Twitter and tumblr are both under the name ArcaneGlitch if you want to find me on either. I'm thinking of potentially posting Chasing Fate art in the future if people are interested in that.
> 
> Links to the Discord server can be found on both sites as well, or you can PM me for the link. It's open to everyone and we're hoping it'll grow into a place where people can find betas and ask for advice. Current ranks are Reader, Beta, Writer, and Artist. Mods and Admins will be added according to server population.
> 
> Finally, feel free to message me and ask me any questions regarding Chasing Fate or Destiny. I'm willing to disclose information pertaining to the series roadmap, characters in the stories, etc. But no spoilers ;)


	12. Last Rites

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The storm, previously on the horizon, has arrived, plunging the system into chaos. The City is in more danger than ever as new enemies arise in the Plaguelands and old ones return from the Deep. Technology running rampant. A father with a score to settle. There is only one solution: divide and conquer. But sometimes even the Sky can fall to the Deep.

**"This is how the world changes: one way meets a second way, and they discharge their weapons, they exchange their words and markets, they contest and in doing so they petition each other for the right to go on being something, instead of nothing." - XXXII: Majestic. Majestic.**

* * *

The rest of the Tower was asleep when Kaedro made his way back down to the med bay. He stood outside Harley's room and stared in through the one-way mirror.

The Taken Hunter was no longer unconscious and thrashed on the bed, attempting to escape the restraints. His form shivered and twitched and Kaedro found himself wanting to look away.

He did so, only to find that he was no longer alone. Standing at the opposite end of the window was a Warlock. He was an Awoken man with blue skin and white hair and he seemed quite preoccupied, vigorously scribbling down notes onto a small pad.

After a few moments, he seemed to notice Kaedro staring at him. He turned and made eye contact. "Speak or move on!" he snapped impatiently.

Kaedro was so taken aback by the chain of events that he couldn't manage anything more than an 'uh.'

The man rolled his eyes. "This is why I work alone."

"Wha-who _are_ you?"

"My name is Asher Mir but that is irrelevant! Why are you bothering me?" Kaedro was truly speechless. He looked back-and-forth between Asher and his friend in the room. "I see. You two are 'acquaintances.' How juvenile."

Kaedro wasn't sure how offended he should feel. "Excuse me?"

"Yes, by all means, leave. I do not need distractions!" He went back to his notes.

Kaedro crossed his arms and continued to stare until Asher gave an irritated huff and turned back. "Clearly, you wish _me_ to leave. I will not. I don't see _you_ researching to figure out how to reverse the corruption of sterile neutrino particles in this Guardian's system! What was _your_ plan? Put him in here and _hope_ it would go away? Hope is a logical fallacy, Hunter. Only data leads to concrete solutions."

Amazingly, Kaedro was able to latch onto something in the rant. "Wait… You're trying to fix Ace?"

"Hmph. Yes but do not mistake it out of the goodness of my heart! I have a vested interest in unusual cases. I am pursuing this _purely_ for scientific purposes." He returned to his furious scribbling. "Hmm… Perhaps if I just…" He shook his head. "No. I will _not_ suffer ambiguity with this work!"

"...Wouldn't it be more efficient to use a HoloScreen?" asked Kaedro.

"You younger Guardians and your obsession with new technology! Do you think I haven't _considered_ that, meddling Hunter? It's hard enough to calculate with you _standing_ there, let alone when you make pointless remarks!"

Kaedro sighed but decided that arguing with Asher Mir wasn't worth it. "Fine, I'll leave. But you'd damn well better try your hardest to save Ace."

Asher waved him off. "Yes, yes. Now shoo!"

With one last glance at his friend, Kaedro turned and left the med bay.

* * *

Kaedro shook off the fatigue that came with early morning and steered his ship down toward the Hellmouth as Cayde's voice came over the comms. " _Ok, you've got the crystal. All you gotta do now is fill it with Crota's soul. The Hive're in the middle of some kinda funeral, so-"_

_"Not a funeral,"_ said Eris, " _A death ceremony. Crota's essence is being prepared for the next realm."_

Kaedro wasn't sure how that was any different from a funeral. Apparently, neither was Cayde. " _Right... So when you get to this funeral, Oryx'll be watchin' close. Use Rasputin's cloak to slip past the Taken. Find Crota's soul, wrap it up, and get out."_

"Sounds fairly easy."

" _Yeah_ ," scoffed Liv, " _Deceptively easy."_

" _Transmat coming up,"_ said Jyn, " _3, 2, 1."_

Once the transmat beam cleared away, Kaedro saw that they were back in Crota's Throneworld on the bridge after the lanterns. He saw Liv looking around. "Yikes. It's creepy down here."

"Yeah," said Kaedro, "Just be glad we didn't have to start from the beginning…" He started walking toward the bridge. "So where're we going?"

" _When the Deathsingers begin their song, you'll know we are close,"_ said Eris.

" _What she's_ tryin' _to say is that she doesn't know,"_ said Cayde, " _But don't worry, I'll keep my ear to the ground."_

" _And I will try not to step on his head."_

Kaedro heard Liv snort behind him as they crossed the bridge and passed into the large glowing hallway. When they neared the end, Cayde spoke up again. " _Stay outta sight… We need you two back alive. Your Ghosts got the frequency?"_

" _Yes,"_ said Rhys.

" _As well as your modifications,"_ said Jyn _, "We're ready."_

_"Then move quietly and unseen,"_ said Eris, " _Like death."_

"Charming…" said Liv.

Kaedro's vision was filled with white light. When it cleared, he found himself standing in a tower above the area where the Chasers had held down totems the last time they were here.

" _Let's hope this works,"_ said Jyn, " _Cloaking."_

Kaedro looked down at his hands only to find that he couldn't see them. It was incredibly disorienting being unable to see your own body. He took a few steps and almost fell over as he couldn't see where he was putting his feet.

" _I can't see you,"_ came Rhys' voice over the comms, " _Can you see me?"_

"You're incorporeal," Liv replied, "I wouldn't be able to see you anyway."

" _Oh. Right."_

"How the hell do you move like this?" asked Kaedro, "I can't see where I'm stepping."

"Feel with your feet... Ready?"

"As I'll ever be…" He stepped outside and saw Hive patrolling all along the totem area.

" _Keep your distance,"_ advised Cayde, " _They can't see you, but they can still smell you. Eris can replace her ship. We can't replace you."_

_"Cross the chasm,"_ said Eris, " _Enter their world."_

"Alright," said Liv, "Follow me."

"How? I can't see you. Also shouldn't you be following _me_ since _I've_ been here before?"

"Fine then Mr. GPS. Where do we go?"

Kaedro scanned the lower platform, noticing a Tomb Husk floating above where the left totem had been. He pointed. "I'm thinking over there's a good place to start."

"Over where? I can't see you pointing, remember?"

Kaedro groaned. "Look, just hold onto my cloak so we don't get separated." He waited until he felt her grab his cloak before setting off. They made their slow and somewhat roundabout way to the Tomb Husk. Kaedro grabbed it.

"Hope they can't see it floating in midair," said Liv, "That's one way to ruin a stealth mission."

"Yeah and talking's another," Kaedro hissed, "Would you be quiet and stop flat-tiring me?"

Liv sighed. "Fine."

Kaedro carried the Tomb Husk over to the middle, releasing the energy. Suddenly, he heard the heavy footsteps of a Knight approach. Liv yanked roughly on his cloak, sending him staggering backward into her. He would've landed on his ass if she hadn't caught him under the arms. He moved to stand back up, but she smacked him on the chest. "Wait for it to leave."

Kaedro sighed but held still until the Knight turned and headed back in the opposite direction. "How're you even holding me up? You're like half my size."

"I'm a Guardian."

She pushed him back onto his feet and they continued across the bridge to Crota's fortress. Even more Hive were patrolling the other side. They waited as an Ogre lumbered across the space before continuing forward, edging between the Wizards and Swordbearers guarding the staircase. As they approached, the enormous doors opened with a rumble.

"Hope they didn't hear that," said Kaedro.

He and Liv moved through the hallways where he'd fought Shriekers before. As they went, he became aware of a sound growing in the air. Inhuman screeching that sounded like chanting. "The hell is that?"

" _The Deathsingers!"_ said Eris, " _They are preparing Crota's soul for the next realm. Follow their cry… It was just as this when I walked in the dark. Their wretched songs in the wind as Erianna fell…"_

The Guardians dropped down and ran through a hallway to the throne room. " _I wonder what the Hive afterlife is like?"_ Rhys mused. Kaedro decided it wasn't the best time to get into it with the Ghost.

" _Reach Crota's tomb and take what remains of his soul,"_ said Eris.

At the opposite end of the courtyard where Crota's Oversoul used to loom was a slab of dark stone emitting a green fog. The Deathsingers stood around it, their dirge echoing across the space.

"If that isn't Crota's Tomb, I dunno what is," said Kaedro.

" _Good,"_ said Eris, " _Now let the crystal drink deep from Crota's death essence."_

Kaedro led them up one of the curving staircases to the upper section and then along a walkway toward the tomb. They skirted around the Deathsingers and placed themselves next to the tomb. He couldn't tell if anything was happening, but apparently, Jyn could.

" _It's working,"_ she said.

"Great. How much do we need?"

" _Only a taste,"_ said Eris _, "But steal all you can."_

All of a sudden, Kaedro felt Liv freeze behind him. " _Shit_ ," she hissed.

"What?" He looked around. "Oh."

They had become visible.

"They can see us!"

" _Lock for transmat!"_ yelled Cayde, his voice distorted, " _Get outta there!"_

" _We must have Crota's soul!"_ said Eris, the same distortion present in her voice.

" _They've got_ enough _! Lock for transmat!"_

" _I can't!"_ said Rhys in panic, " _Everything's corrupted!"_

_"I can't connect either!"_ said Jyn.

Then the Hive retreated and Kaedro saw Taken warping in. "Crap!" He and Liv shot down a few Taken Psions on the walkway before jumping over to one of the towers. For a few minutes, it was better, but then the Taken started appearing inside.

"They won't stop coming!" yelled Liv, shooting down more adversaries.

Kaedro reloaded for the second time. "We're getting swamped in here!"

The Taken swarmed in a never-ending stream. Every time Kaedro shot one down, two more popped up to take its place. "I'm getting down to my last few rounds here Liv!"

"Same here!" the other Hunter yelled back.

Then Eris' voice came through the comms. "Guardians! Come...with...me!"

A strange incantation echoed through Kaedro's head and all of a sudden, they were standing outside across from the fortress. He looked around in confusion.

Eris sounded out-of-breath. " _It was the best I could do with so little time."_

" _You_ did that?" said Liv, astonished, "How?"

" _One of Toland's tricks. There is nothing I fear more than the Dark, but I will not lose another Guardian... You've imprisoned the last whisper of Crota's soul. It is left to you now. Find Oryx on the Dreadnaught. Destroy him."_

"We will," said Liv.

"Yeah," said Kaedro, "He's not gonna know what hit him."

* * *

Later that night, he decided to update the other Chasers on the situation. As soon as the call connected, Rae was on him. " _Any news?"_

Kaedro gave a small chuckle. "Give me a chance to say 'hello' would ya?"

" _Why? Only reason you'd call is a development."_

"I guess you're right. Well, we got Ace back to the Tower."

Rae looked relieved. " _Good to hear… How's the Oryx situation?"_

Kaedro sighed. "Would you stop pretending you don't care already? I can see right through you, y'know."

It was Rae's turn to sigh. " _Fine. You got me. I'm worried about him. Happy?"_

"Yup. And I'll be even happier when Ace wakes up and I can show him this clip."

" _You didn't."_

"Oh, I _did_."

Rae's voice took on a warning edge. " _If you even_ think _about showing him-"_

"You'll what? Kill me? I'm shaking in my metal skin. Face it, Rae… Your threats have lost their spook factor."

" _You are_ so _lucky I'm in the Iron Temple and not in the Tower…"_

"Yeah. How much longer's that gonna be again?"

" _Not sure. Tomorrow we'll be flying out to Mars to check out the Clovis Bray complex for stuff on SIVA. How 'bout you guys? Whatcha up to?"_

"Well, we've just stolen Crota's soul," said Kaedro, "So next we're gonna infiltrate the Dreadnaught and kill Oryx."

" _You stole Crota's… nevermind. I'll ask when we get back. What about Ace, though? You figured out a way to fix him yet?"_

Kaedro shook his head. "Nothing yet. Ikora said we'd have to wait till Oryx isn't a threat to focus on him. I ran into a Warlock studying him last night, though. His name was Asher."

" _Asher Mir?"_ Rae sounded delighted.

"Yeah. Know him?"

" _Duh! Last I heard, he was interested in the_ Vex _, but I guess he started looking at Taken since Oryx got here."_

"Of course _you'd_ like him. You two are practically peas in a pod."

" _Was he giving you shit? That's just how he is. Just be glad you're not a Titan…"_

"Yeah, whatever. I'm gonna head to bed soon. Big day tomorrow. I'll call you if there's any developments."

" _You'd better."_

"Talk to you later, Rae."

" _Later."_

The call ended. Kaedro heaved a sigh and stood up to make his way back to his room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I bet none of you expected to see Asher turn up in this story. Truth be told, I didn't plan on adding him in. It just kind of happened. I borrowed pieces of his in-game dialogue, as you may notice. I'm not sure what inspired me to add him in the first place, but I've always liked him as a character.
> 
> Many thanks to you all for your interest in these stories and even bigger thanks to everyone who left comments on any of them. I love reading your comments :D
> 
> Also, I might've mentioned this before, but if any of you want to use my characters in your own stories/oneshots, I'm absolutely ok with it. Just give me a heads up ;) I can even add your stories to a series if you want.
> 
> Until next time!
> 
> \- TheWolfParadox


	13. It's Either Regicide or Deicide

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The storm, previously on the horizon, has arrived, plunging the system into chaos. The City is in more danger than ever as new enemies arise in the Plaguelands and old ones return from the Deep. Technology running rampant. A father with a score to settle. There is only one solution: divide and conquer. But sometimes even the Sky can fall to the Deep.

**"This is the universe figuring out what it should be in the end. And it is majestic. Majestic. It is the only thing that can be true in and of itself. And it is what I am." - XXXII: Majestic. Majestic.**

* * *

Kaedro, Jade, and Liv flew toward the transmat zone they'd set up on the Dreadnaught. "You guys ready for this?" he asked.

" _I was_ born _ready!"_ said Liv.

" _Same here,"_ said Jade _, "We'll make Oryx pay for what he did to Harley."_

 _"All of this was set in motion long ago,"_ said Eris, " _He calls out, and the Darkness answers."_

 _"Ok!"_ said Cayde, " _Creepy sidekick, check. Rogueish commander, check. And then we have you Guardians… I'd say we're ready to get this done."_

They transmatted down into the Hull Breach. "Here we go," Kaedro muttered.

" _Push back the dark,"_ said Eris, " _End it."_

 _"She's right,"_ said Cayde, " _There's no doubt in my mind this could possibly work. Now, get to that rupture."_

Outside the Cabal ship, the Cabal and Hive fought their never-ending battle. Kaedro followed a trenchway around the side, avoiding the conflict. When they emerged into the Mausoleum, they met a host of Hive and Taken waiting for them. "Should've guessed we'd have company," said Kaedro.

" _Get that rupture open,"_ said Cayde, " _Once you're there, send your coordinates. We'll lock down your position and send in reinforcements."_

Kaedro chucked his grenade into the squadron of Knights and Acolytes guarding the rupture. It burst into a wall of purple fire, burning several of the aliens to ash. The survivors were shot down by Kaedro. Three more Acolytes appeared. Liv took out the first one with a headshot as Jade meleed the other two. A Wizard swooped in, shooting them with blasts of energy until Jade hit it with a grenade. In front of them, the rupture expanded out into a glowing portal.

" _It can sense the soul you hold,"_ declared Eris _, "You are Ascendant!"_

 _"Time to go kill a king, eh, Guardians?"_ said Cayde _, "Good luck."_

Kaedro glanced at his companions. "You ready?" They nodded. He sighed. "Right. Well...let's go."

They stepped through the portal, emerging into a dark hallway. They were definitely still on the Dreadnaught, but it was an area Kaedro hadn't seen before. At the end of the hallway was a circular room with a pit taking up most of the floor. A large pillar protruded from the pit, lined with strange capsules. He heard a burst of static as the comms cut out. "Great. There go our reinforcements…"

" _My scans aren't returning anything,"_ said Rhys, " _We're...somewhere but I'm not finding Oryx."_

"Nice. Well, if we keep going, we'll find something."

They moved down the hallway and into the circular room. Another hall branched off to the left, this one much longer and darker than the last. However, as Kaedro took the first few steps, lanterns on the walls lit up to illuminate the space.

"Motion-activated lights?" said Jade.

Kaedro shrugged. "Who knows?"

They passed into another circular room with a pit and entered a short hallway. At the end, Kaedro saw another one of Oryx's probes. "I guess Oryx knows we're coming… This just keeps getting better."

As they moved forward, the probe vanished and they found themselves in a large space. A pair of tall dark doors were at the opposite end and Kaedro could see the probe in the middle of a platform that was lower down. Further along, three Taken Hobgoblins waited, snipers at the ready. "Yeah? I've got one too."

He set down his auto rifle and retrieved his sniper rifle from his back, aiming it carefully at the first Hobgoblin's head. Bang! It disintegrated. He took down the next two in quick succession, then put his sniper rifle away to move forward once more. Before the stairs leading up to the doors was a squad of Taken Psions.

"Leave those to me," said Jade.

She dashed forward and directed a few bursts of her fusion rifle across the enemies. Once they were gone, the Guardians continued up the stairs. As they approached, the doors slowly slid open to reveal a large chamber with a portal frame in the middle.

"Looks like another rupture," said Liv.

Suddenly, a large shadowy form sprung up in front of the rupture. It was the same thing that Kaedro had seen on Phobos and then again in the Cosmodrome. "Oryx."

" _That's_ Oryx?" Liv sounded alarmed. "You mean we have to fight _that_?!"

The projection spoke, its voice rumbling with power. " **You are the last hope of the Light? I have taken entire worlds! You are not worthy to face me!"** The figure disappeared.

"What?" said Jade.

"Is he really not gonna fight us?" said Kaedro, "I find that hard to believe." Then the rupture opened and a Taken Cabal Primus stepped through. "Shit." Then a Taken Ogre came through behind it. " _Shit!_ "

"We're screwed," said Liv.

Kaedro summoned the Void, planting an arrow right between the two Taken, tethering them. Then all three Guardians began to hit the aliens with as many rockets as they could.

"Why did I agree to come on this mission?" said Liv.

Finally, the Primus and Ogre were defeated, imploding in flashes of white. "Where do we go now?"

"Through the rupture," said Jade, pointing. They headed to the portal, stepping through. After a circular chamber with a rotating pillar and a narrow hall, they stepped out onto a wide ledge. Across a dark gap was another set of doors that glowed red. Several Hive were scattered around the entrance, patrolling.

" **Come to me, warriors of Light,"** echoed the voice of Oryx, " **I will finish what Crota began."**

"So not much of anything then," quipped Liv, "At least, from what I heard…"

A bridge appeared, spanning the gap. "Hope Oryx doesn't drop this from under us," said Kaedro as he stepped onto it, "That's one way to a quick end."

When they got across, the Hive on the other side had vanished, leaving the path to the doorway clear. They climbed the stairs and passed through the doors, finding themselves in a room that was pitch black. A short distance away, a small white flame burned on the ground. As Kaedro approached, it shot off, creating a line of white fire that raced along the floor and up the wall. It burned in the image of the Hive symbol for Oryx, shining white for a few seconds before turning to a smoldering red and splitting in half as a hidden door opened. The room beyond was black like before, except for a tinge of dark red. Kaedro stepped back as a section of the wall melted into the shape of a winged figure with a huge sword, revealing the visage of Saturn in the background.

" **At last!"** Oryx bellowed, " **I will have vengeance!"**

He raised a hand and Kaedro felt a peculiar sensation come over him. "What the-" He went to summon his grenade, but found that the Light was beyond his reach.

"Kaedro something's wrong!" said Jade, "I can't activate my Radiance!"

"I know," said Kaedro, "Looks like we're doing this the old-fashioned way."

He raised his auto rifle and started shooting at Oryx. Jade and Liv joined in and while Kaedro felt good doing it, he wasn't sure how much they were actually damaging the Hive God. He switched to his rocket launcher and managed to get off a shot before Oryx vanished. "What the hell?"

But the Taken King was only gone for a few moments before he reappeared at the other end of the room. " **Your Traveler's Light cannot reach you here. I will take your worlds as you took Crota!"** He spun his sword, whirling it over his head.

Kaedro looked up and saw a swirling mass of Dark energy above him. He scrambled away as a bolt of it struck the ground where he'd been. The three Guardians resumed their assault. Oryx held out a hand, firing orbs of energy at them. Kaedro ducked behind a rock to avoid them as he reloaded and was about to rejoin the fight when his vision went black. When he came back into focus, he saw that they were somewhere new. A dome of some kind of energy surrounded them, moving like fog. Inside the dome were four pillars of stone. Kaedro squinted into the fog and saw two huge wings moving.

" **Your Light will die,"** said Oryx. He vanished and Kaedro looked wildly around to see where he went.

Suddenly, he was knocked off his feet by a blast of energy. He rolled away and aimed his gun at where the blast had come from, shooting into the fog. Suddenly Oryx flew into the dome, sword at the ready. The Guardians backpedaled, firing at him as he charged in. Oryx slammed his sword into the ground, causing a shockwave that threw them to the ground. Then he shot up out of sight. Kaedro reloaded and stood up.

" **The Darkness is a gift,"** said Oryx, " **Let my will set you free as it has freed your companion."**

"Fat chance!" yelled Kaedro, "You want us? Come and get us!" He scanned the edges of the dome. Away to the left, he could just barely see the outline of a figure. He nudged the others and pointed. Oryx sailed in and they open fired, this time jumping back before he could slam the ground.

As Oryx flew off again, he called, " **Crota fell. I will not!"**

He shot at them out of nowhere, causing them to split up and scramble for cover. Kaedro glimpsed one of his wings in the fog to their right a split second before Oryx charged again. "Down!"

Jade and Liv dropped to the ground, shooting upward as Oryx flew in, slamming his sword down. But this time, the sword was not raised again. Kaedro watched as Oryx slowly sank to the ground, his sword poking upward like a strange tree. Oryx reached toward it, as though to take it up once more. However, instead a blueish-white energy crept up the blade, gathering in Oryx's palm as a pulsing orb. Oryx met Kaedro's gaze for a moment before raising the orb triumphantly and plunging it into his own chest. Before Kaedro's eyes, the Taken King floated upwards convulsing, his body dissolving away. Right before Oryx's face crumbled to dust, he laughed, a dark menacing laughed that promised retribution.

"Why was he laughing?" Liv demanded, "We decked him!"

"He's not dead yet," said Jade, voicing the thought that Kaedro had been harboring.

* * *

"Whaddaya mean Oryx's still kickin'?" asked Cayde, "He turned to dust. Sounds pretty dead to me."

Ikora shot him a look. "You think Oryx wouldn't have a Throneworld? Who do you think showed Crota how to do it?"

"I _knew_ he went down too easy," said Kaedro, "Of course he'd wanna finish it in his Throneworld. He's stronger there."

"He may be stronger, yes," Eris acquiesced, "But he is also vulnerable. In his Throneworld, he can be killed permanently."

Liv looked confused. "Wouldn't he know that?"

"He is aware of it. However, he does not deem Guardians a threat to him there. He has had millennia to build up defenses."

Jade nodded. "That's true. And he's been attacked there before. His own sisters tried to get in."

"Great," said Kai, "So how do we succeed where Hive Gods failed?"

"We go in together," Kaedro declared, "When we killed Crota in _his_ Throneworld, we all were there as a team."

"You want another double fireteam," Jade realized.

Kaedro nodded, turning to Liv. "We might not have Bazzle and the others, but we have you guys. The six of us should be able to-"

"Whoa whoa wait," said Kai, holding up a hand, "'The _six_ of us'? There's only five of us here. You, me, Wrythal, Liv, and Tris."

Tristan cringed. "I'd prefer if you didn't call me that."

"Point is, you miscounted."

Kaedro shook his head. "No, I didn't. With Ace, we're a six-man team."

" _Ace_? In case you haven't noticed, Ace is Taken."

"Right. Which is why we're gonna fix him before we start with this Throneworld business."

The Vanguard had remained silent through the whole exchange, but now Zavala sighed. "Kaedro-"

"No," asserted Kaedro, "I am done waiting for a 'good time' to work on this! We can't wait for the City to not be under attack 'cause there's always gonna be another 'Oryx'. Ace is my friend and he's important to me and because of that, _we're_ gonna start looking for a way to fix him!" Kaedro's optics swept the room, daring anyone to say otherwise. When no one did, he nodded. "Good. Starting first thing tomorrow, Ace is our number one priority." With that, he turned and stalked out of the Hub.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait, my friends! I just want to ensure quality in my work so update times won't be as certain as with Darkness Ascending. As you may/may not know, I'm taking part in Destcember. There's a list of prompts for the whole month. The first one went up on my Twitter and tumblr yesterday, as well as on this site. More will be joining as the month progresses. Also, thank you all for your support! 
> 
> Catch you on the flipside!
> 
> \- TheWolfParadox


	14. The Deep and the Sky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The storm, previously on the horizon, has arrived, plunging the system into chaos. The City is in more danger than ever as new enemies arise in the Plaguelands and old ones return from the Deep. Technology running rampant. A father with a score to settle. There is only one solution: divide and conquer. But sometimes even the Sky can fall to the Deep.

**"The only way to make something good is to make something that can't be broken. And the only way to do that is to try to break everything. I'm glad I learned that the universe runs on death. It's more beautiful to know." - XXXIV: More Beautiful to Know**

* * *

Kaedro stood outside the secure med bay room with Jade, Ikora, and Asher. Ikora and Asher were talking among themselves, occasionally shooting looks at the Taken Hunter writhing in the restraints. He watched for a few moments before deciding to speak up once more. As with the past several times, he was cut off almost instantly.

"Maybe if we knew how the Taken process wo-"

"Irrelevant!" snapped Asher, "The process itself is simple! An aperture opens, transporting the individual out of this realm and infusing them with the power of the Darkness. This transforms the victim into an animate vessel of the wielder's power!"

"Well if it comes from the Darkness, we might be able to-"

Asher rolled his eyes. "To counter it with Light, yes. I've been through all this nonsense before! I'm well-aware that Light is the most likely solution. It's no secret to _me_ that both Light and Dark work on a paracausal level!"

"Uh...what?" Jade opened her mouth to answer him, but changed her mind, closing it again.

Asher glared at him. "I'm not about to get into the rules of causality with _you_ , Hunter!"

"Fine, but you still agreed that Light's our best option."

"Yes, yes. And just where do you propose we acquire this Light? And how do we wield it? Tell me, have _you_ recently adopted the power of the Traveler?"

"...No."

"Then be quiet and leave me to my work!" Ikora gave a weary-sounding sigh.

"What about Ghosts?" asked Jade.

Asher turned on her, seemingly about to retort, when he stopped, frowning. "Hmm. Yes, Ghosts... Of course no one Ghost has enough Light to reverse this process but perhaps enough of them together… yes. Congratulations on not being entirely useless, Warlock." He began to jot down notes at an incredible speed.

Ikora smiled at Jade and mouthed, "Well done."

"Is he like that with everyone?" asked Kaedro.

"Yes," she replied, "For the most part, Asher holds...equal contempt for everyone he meets, aside from a pronounced dislike of Titans which is why you've never seen him and Zavala in the same room."

" _Ahem_ ," said Asher irritably, "Do you value these calculations or not?"

"Of course," said Ikora, "We'll wait outside so we don't bother you, Asher."

"Hmph."

Kaedro and Jade followed the Warlock Vanguard out of the med bay. "I don't get it," said Kaedro, "Why do you put up with him? Also why haven't I run into him before now?"

"Asher is...reclusive. He prefers to work alone so he secludes himself from other Guardians. He's only at the Tower now because I asked for his help in dealing with the Taken."

"But...why?"

"Because he is one of the greatest scientific authorities the City Age has to offer. What he lacks in… manners, he makes up for in brainpower. If anyone can come up with a solution, it's him."

As they waited for Asher, Prism floated closer to Kaedro. "I haven't seen him since Phobos," she said quietly, "It's… it's a lot worse in person."

Kaedro sighed. "I know, Prism. But we'll figure this out. You guys will be back to fighting aliens in no time."

"I'm glad you think so, Kaedro… Ever since I found him on Mercury, we've always been together. But after Phobos...it was like before when I didn't have a Guardian. Except worse because I _lost_ my Guardian."

"I know. And I promise we'll get him back to you."

Just then, Asher exited the med bay. "Well, Ikora Rey, annoying Hunter, Warlock… my calculations are complete. The recovery process will not be instantaneous, I am not a magician. But with daily exposure to Light, full recovery will take about two-to-three weeks."

Ikora held her hand out for his notepad. "May I?"

"If you must."

Ikora nodded her thanks and took the notepad from him. As her eyes scanned over it, Kaedro saw her brows furrow. "The number of Ghosts here isn't adding up... Factoring in Kaedro's, Jade's, and Harley's own Ghost as well as Fireteam Calypso's Ghosts brings it to six. I know Cayde is more than willing, so his Ghost, my Ghost, and Zavala's Ghost raises it to nine…. Where did the tenth Ghost come from?"

"Unimportant!" snapped Asher, snatching his notepad back.

Ikora raised an eyebrow at him. "I see… I didn't expect _you_ to volunteer. I wasn't aware you cared about Harley."

"I don't! I am acting in the interest of science!"

"Very well… When can we begin?"

"Tomorrow," said Asher, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have more data to gather." With that, he took his leave.

Kaedro sighed. _Just a bit longer_ , he told himself.

* * *

Kaedro looked around apprehensively as he entered the room the next day. He may not be the one strapped to the bed, but something about the layout made him feel like _he_ was the one being confined. The Taken creature that had been his friend strained against the bonds, twitching and convulsing.

One particularly violent jerk caused Tristan to flinch in surprise, causing him to step on Asher's foot. Kaedro had noticed that the Warlock could be somewhat skittish at times and winced in sympathy as his face drained of what little color it had in the face of Asher's verbal abuse. The situation only got worse when Kai joined in.

"We got a problem here?"

"No, we did not, as a matter of fact. Although I believe that situation has now been rectified!"

"Lay off my friend," said Kai, "Or do you want me to bring out the hammer?"

"Brute force," scoffed Asher, "Typical Titan conflict resolution."

Things looked like they were about to turn ugly. Luckily, Ikora stepped in to run damage control.

"Right," said Zavala, "I believe you all know why you're here. Will all the Ghosts in the room please come forward?"

Kaedro blinked in amazement as the Ghosts arrayed themselves around Harley's bed. He had never seen so many in one place before. Prism hummed with excitement as she floated forward. The Ghosts hovered there for a moment before expanding their shells.

Kaedro watched as a stream of white energy was transferred into Harley, causing a horrible scream to be ripped from his mouth. He winced. He _knew_ what the Ghosts were doing was helping Harley in the long run but at the moment, it seemed like all they were doing was torturing him.

The process lasted for half an hour, each transference of Light eliciting a scream from the Taken Guardian. As the minutes passed, Kaedro felt himself pass into a sort of trancelike state. The only things in existence were himself and his friend in the hospital bed. Nothing else was important.

Finally, he was snapped out of it when Cayde put a hand on his shoulder. "Kay, buddy? You with us?"

Kaedro glanced up. "Yeah." He looked around and saw that the room was empty apart from himself, Cayde, and the now unconscious occupant of the bed.

"The others headed outside for some air." He glanced at the bed. "Y'know, ever since he disappeared, I was thinkin' the worst... It was drivin' me crazy, too 'cause I kept comin' back to the same questions. 'What if he's dead? What if the Hive're torturin' him?'" Cayde shook his head. "Never imagined this outcome… Still, he's here and he'll be back to himself in no time. Better than I could've hoped for, that's for sure." Kaedro nodded and Cayde clapped his hands together. "Well, that's day one down!"

"Yeah and too many more to go," said Kaedro, "...I don't think I can watch that every day."

"I hear ya. Wasn't a picnic for me either. Just gotta focus on how it'll help him."

"I know."

"Hey, least we _found_ a way to reverse it," said Cayde, "Gotta look on the bright side."

Kaedro nodded again. "...I think I'm ready to get out of here."

"Me too, Kay. Me too."

When Kaedro emerged from the med bay, he saw that Liv had been waiting for him. "Hey," she said.

"Hey." They started walking.

"So tell me something," she began.

"Yeah?"

"Why are you doing all this? For Ace I mean. What did he do to deserve it?" She held up a hand. "And before you answer, I'm not saying he's not worth it or anything… I'm just curious."

"Hmm... I guess I can't say I'm doing it 'cause I'd be an awful person to leave him like that?"

"Nope. No bailing on me with an easy answer. Besides, if that was your only motivation, you could have just killed him to spare him the suffering."

Kaedro winced. "...Maybe I didn't wanna make myself miserable by doing that."

"Ah, the selfish card." She shook her head. "Not going to work."

"Ok, well tell _me_ , if it were Kai or Tristan in there, would _you_ just leave them like that?"

Liv glared at him. "You're avoiding the question."

"So are you. But I think I can answer for both of us… No. We couldn't leave them like that 'cause they're our friends and when you make friends with people, it causes you to do some stupid shit."

Liv snorted. "That's the realest way anyone's ever put it. 'Stupid shit'... So how did you two become friends anyway? I'd like to know the scoop."

Kaedro sighed. "It's weird 'cause there wasn't much to it. You know how after you hang out with the same people long enough, you get used to them always being around? It's a bit like that except it involved a lot of almost getting killed together, which really strengthens bonds... The very first time I met him, Bazzle punched him in the face."

"What?"

"Yeah. That's when I introduced myself. Then later he gathered us together and told us we all had to work together to take down Crota. Then after that, there was the Vault of Glass, yadda yadda yadda. I guess in this line of work, you make friends real fast."

Liv nodded. "That's true. Violence makes the friendship stronger. First time I met Kai and Tristan, we were thrown together as a random fireteam for a mission. I don't remember what the mission was, but we did _not_ get along. Kai was annoying 'cause she was too negative and Tristan was annoying 'cause he was too quiet."

"And I suppose you were the perfect one?"

"Nope. Too bossy. But you know how it is… we went through the mission, survived mortal danger, exchanged comm frequencies afterward. We had a few more team-ups after that before we decided to make it permanent."

"That's pretty cool."

"Not as cool as someone getting punched in the face."

"No, it takes work to be _that_ cool."

Jyn and Rhys listened to the Guardians talk. "Do you think they realize how stupid they sound?" asked Rhys.

Jyn shook her head. "Nope. That's why they need us Ghosts. We're the brains of the operation."

"Yep. And to think they only ask for us when they need help opening doors… A tragedy. They wouldn't be anywhere without us."

"Just a pile of old bones. But then again, we wouldn't have a purpose without them."

"Yes, thanks to Guardians I can answer the highest calling… hacking into mainframes."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's chapter fourteen done with! Hope y'all enjoyed reading it. I keep thinking it would be so cool if I could turn this series into comics but unfortunately I'm not at that skill level yet :P
> 
> Until next time!
> 
> \- TheWolfParadox


	15. Zero-Sum Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The storm, previously on the horizon, has arrived, plunging the system into chaos. The City is in more danger than ever as new enemies arise in the Plaguelands and old ones return from the Deep. Technology running rampant. A father with a score to settle. There is only one solution: divide and conquer. But sometimes even the Sky can fall to the Deep.

**"Oryx my Brother is the bravest thing I know. Upon Fundament he learned that we were the natural prey of the universe, the most frail and desperate of things. He thought about this carefully and he found a way to fix it. He made us strong. He will lead us into eternity. Oryx my Brother loves me and this love is war." - XXXV: This Love is War**

* * *

For every day over the next few weeks, Kaedro walked into the med bay with Jade, Asher, Liv, Kai, Tristan, Zavala, Ikora, and Cayde so the Ghosts could work on healing Harley. For the first couple days, there was no sign of change, but as time passed, Kaedro began to see progress peeking through.

It started with Harley's feet. Slowly but surely, the Taken energy receded. By the end of day four, the bottoms of his boots were clear. By day ten, it was his lower legs. By fifteen, his torso. By seventeen, his arms. And by the end of their session on the twenty-first day, the Taken-ness had vanished completely from his features.

His armor was patchy and eaten through, looking more like Swiss cheese than clothing. His cloak was nothing more than a tattered rag. After the majority of the others had left, a med team arrived to change him into proper med bay attire: soft white scrubs. Harley hadn't regained consciousness since day one and now he was hooked up to an army of machines to do things like monitor his vitals and keep him hydrated. The restraints were removed and sheets were placed on the bed, though he was still kept in the secure room.

Kaedro visited him as often as he could, with Jade accompanying him most times. The Ghost gatherings had stopped after Asher informed everyone that the corruption was gone. All that remained was to wait for him to wake up. And that was the hardest part for Kaedro, knowing his friend was healed and the only thing stopping him from coming back was his own body. Prism never left Harley's bedside, choosing to hover unsleeping next to her Guardian until Kaedro started making her power down at night.

Kaedro was seated in the chair he always used. This time, Jade wasn't with him. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "This always feels really stupid," he said, "And I'm one of the biggest cliches ever but I like talking to you... Not sure if you can hear me, though. Asher said… _something_ about it but I can't understand half the stuff that comes out of that guy's mouth. Anyway, you've been asleep for twenty-eight days now and I dunno about you, but that seems pretty long. You should just wake up now so I can tell you about all the shit you missed… but I feel like you're gonna keep me waiting. Which is fine, as long as you're not a drama queen about it..."

He glanced at his wrist interface. "Anyway, it's getting pretty late so I'm gonna get going before they kick me out again." He stood up, pushing the chair into the corner where it wouldn't get in the way and walked to the door. "See you tomorrow, buddy." With that, he turned out the lights and left the room.

 _Harley was in the dark. Or maybe he_ was _the dark. He couldn't feel his body. In fact, he couldn't feel much of anything. An image flashed before his eyes, three-eyed with horns, the symbol of Oryx. And then Oryx himself was there, laughing as he pushed the orb of energy into Harley's chest. And Harley screamed as he felt his body dissolving, being eaten away. And then it was Dark again. And cold. And he was carrying a sword of ice and leading Taken through a dark portal._

 _Everything was hazy and far away._ _He saw what he was doing but through the eyes of a spectator looking through a wall of thick glass, pounding on it. He could see everything and nothing. He watched as Kaedro and Jade ran, ran from_ him _. And later in the depths of the Moon, he could sense their fear and it delighted and disgusted him._

 _Next was bright. A bright so blinding that it stung. It was everywhere. He saw the Tower Plaza, the City below. He hated it and he wept, for it was not him doing the hating. Everything he felt and saw and did was not him._ He _was not him. He watched as he broke free from Kaedro, summoning knives to his hands. He stared down the barrel of his own gun as Kaedro pointed it at him and all at once he wanted to tell him to stop but also to shoot. Then Kaedro put the gun away and he was relieved and terrified. He watched as his knife almost hit Jade and cried out in silent horror as he sank the other blade into Kaedro's chest. He felt his grip on Kaedro's neck and he wanted to let go but he also wanted to squeeze tighter. He heard as Kaedro begged him to stop and screamed as he didn't listen._

Harley's eyes flew open and he felt his heart stutter as they were met with blackness. He felt like something was pressing against his face, stealing his breath. A frantic beeping sounded in his ear and he flinched away, head whipping around to find the source. But the sound grew faster and faster and he couldn't see and was that the Dark coming for him again? He twisted violently away, landing heavily on the cold floor. A sharp pain ripped through his arm and all of the sudden the beeping turned into one long continuous note. He grabbed his arm, feeling warm wetness as he stood up and blindly felt along the walls, finally finding a switch that threw the room into a warm yellow light.

He took in the sterile surroundings, breathing evening out as he realized that he was in a hospital. The beeping had been coming from the heart monitor he'd been hooked up to. The pain in his arm was from him ripping out his IV. Suddenly he became aware of how weak his body was and he sat down on his bed, exhausted.

Prism was asleep on a table next to his bed and he felt relieved. His Ghost was ok. He sank back and closed his eyes, unwilling to turn out the light.

He had only been resting for a few minutes when something in the room creaked. Instantly, he was alert once more, scanning his surroundings for any potential threats.

A figure was sitting in the corner, someone he had only met twice before and yet was almost comfortingly familiar to him. For a few moments, they simply stared at each other across the room.

The Exo appraised him with her cool blue optics. "...It's been a while since we last spoke, Guardian."

Harley opened his mouth to reply, but his voice came out raspy and hoarse. "Why… now?"

She shrugged. "It was the right time... I had not planned on seeing you again until much later but I felt there were some things you should know…" She leaned back in the chair, still watching him. "A war is on the horizon, Hunter. It is a war of many battles and on many different fronts and it will take more from you than anything you have encountered before. I cannot share details but know this… your battle will come in three parts: a truth, a betrayal, and a loss."

Harley coughed. "Why… Why are you telling me this?"

"Because it is something you need to know. This is important, Guardian… One day, when you're at your lowest and all odds stand against you, you will remember this moment." She rose to her feet. "Farewell, Hunter... I'm sorry our time together was so brief but should you survive the oncoming storm, know that we will speak again."

With that, she turned and walked into nothingness.

Harley sank back into his pillows. He had never expected to see the Stranger again. Why would she choose to appear now? He'd only just woken up.

He wanted to wake up Prism to tell her about it. It'd been so long since he talked to his Ghost… But he knew it was kinder to let her rest.

His mind felt thin and stretched and at the moment, all he wanted to do was sleep. He relaxed into the bed and let his exhaustion overcome him.

* * *

Harley felt something brush against his arm. He bolted upright in an instant, pinning his attacker against the wall with his forearm. His eyes flew open and he found himself staring into the terrified face of a young woman dressed in hospital wear.

He let go instantly, staggering away. "I'm sorry! I didn't- I mean I wouldn't- I'm so sorry!" He apologized over and over until a feeling of lightheadedness crept over him and his breaths were coming too fast. A hand settled on his shoulder with a feather-light touch. He flinched but saw it was another member of the med team.

"Alright, I need you to calm down for me. Put your hand on my chest." The man grabbed Harley's right hand and pressed it against his chest. "Breathe when I breathe."

Harley nodded and began breathing exaggerated slow breaths in time with the man, whose name tag identified him as Ryan. Ryan glanced over his shoulder at the young woman who still wore a look of shock on her face. "Isabel, please try not to distress the patient." She nodded mutely, looking embarrassed as she walked past them out the door.

"I'm… not… distressed," said Harley, "And it was… it was my… fault."

"You weren't consciously controlling your actions," said Ryan in a calming tone, "Everyone working in the med bay is trained to deal with cases like this. Isabel's new here, which is why she froze up." Ryan began checking Harley's vitals.

"I don't know… why I reacted like that."

"It's completely natural," Ryan assured him, "You've been through a lot and someone touched you without warning... Speaking of which, I _will_ have to take a look at your arm." Harley nodded, holding out his arm. Ryan cleaned off the dried blood with a square of gauze before checking the wound. "It's not too bad. I'd try to avoid yanking out your IV in the future though." He cleaned it and wound a bandage around the arm. "Now I'll have to ask you to get back in bed. It's not a good idea for you to be moving around so much yet."

Harley nodded and got back into the bed. "What time is it?"

"I believe it's almost 7 o'clock."

"Thanks. And thanks for… y'know…"

Ryan nodded. "Just doing my job," he said easily, "I'll be back later to check in." He flashed a smile before leaving the room.

Harley lay in bed for a few minutes, listening to the whir of the various machines. Next to him, Prism's eye began to glow and she rose off the table. "Harley!" The Ghost did a flip in the air before zooming over to nuzzle him affectionately.

Harley smiled tiredly. "Hey Prism."

"You're back! You're really back! How could you leave me like that?!"

"I couldn't let the Hive get you. Who knows what they-" He coughed. "What they might've done."

"I don't care. I'm your Ghost so I stay with _you_."

"If I made the argument that I saved you so you'd be around to revive _me_ if I died, would you lay off?"

"Nope. I wouldn't believe it for a second. You're a wonderful Guardian, Harley, but you don't think forward like that."

Harley sighed. "I guess not… So what's happened since I… left?"

"I wasn't involved in much of the action at all. That's a question you should save for Kaedro... By the way, I sent him a message and he's on his way."

"Kaedro's coming? That's-" He coughed again. "great, Prism."

"You ok?" his Ghost asked, sounding concerned.

Harley waved her off. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit of a sore throat, that's all."

"That's good. No lasting effects then?"

Harley shook his head. "Nothing so far."

Suddenly the door flew open and Kaedro entered. "Ace! Looking pretty good for someone who just spent a month in a coma!"

"A mo- a _month_?"

"Oh, you didn't know. My bad… But you're back now and that's what counts!"

"Yeah… You mind filling me in on what I- ack. On what I missed?"

"Well, Cayde sent me to get a stealth drive that he hid in the Cosmodrome. _Then_ I became a Nightstalker and-"

"What? Really? That's amazing!"

"Yeah. I'm still getting used to it, though... Anyway, Jade and I used the stealth drive to get onto the Dreadnaught and take out its weapon so we could set up a transmat zone. We met another fireteam there and went looking for you. When we didn't find you, we came back to get info on the Taken from a Cabal ship that'd crashed into the Dreadnaught. Using their data, we found a rupture and… ran into you."

There was an uncomfortable pause before he spoke again.

"We found out that only Ascendants could pass through so we went to the Temple of Crota and stole a piece of his crystal. That's when we ran into you again and brought you back to the Tower… Do you remember anything from when you… you know…?"

Harley wanted to laugh. The events from the past few weeks before he was unconscious would probably be cemented in his mind until he died his final death. But he decided not to mention that to Kaedro. "Not really."

Would Kaedro tell him about the fight? He wanted to apologize for what he'd done but he also didn't want to cause his friend any more undue pain by bringing it up.

"Oh. Well anyway, we went back to Crota's Throneworld and stole his soul to get through the rupture using stealth tech from Rasputin. Then we went through the rupture and killed Oryx."

Harley thought about it for a few minutes. His mind felt sluggish. Processing the details was hard. "Sounds like I missed a lot."

"Yeah. Don't worry… We'll catch you up soon enough. When're you supposed to be out of here?"

"No idea."

"We'll be keeping you a few more days to monitor you," said Ryan as he entered, "But that's mostly just to be on the safe side. Your condition has returned to normal and as far as we can tell, there haven't been any ill after effects."

"Hey! Nice!" said Kaedro, "Sounds like you'll be good to go in no time." He sighed. "Well, I'll let you get some rest... I'll tell Jade to stop by sometime in the afternoon. And real quick before I leave… There's this Warlock named Asher Mir that you might run into who's been working on your… case. White hair, grumpy expression, always taking notes. Don't take anything he says personally."

"...Thanks," said Harley, a bit puzzled, "I'll see you later, then?"

"Later, Ace." With that, the Exo made his exit.

Ryan checked Harley's vitals again. "Everything's normal… Just wanted to be sure. The unusual cases are always a bit tricky." He moved for the door, reaching to turn off the lights.

Harley's heart skipped a beat. "You don't have to do that," he said hurriedly. Ryan paused, shooting him an odd look. "It's fine if you-" He coughed. "If you leave the lights on." He tried for a smile. "Wouldn't want to inconvenience anyone who comes in to check up on me."

"Alright," said Ryan, "There's a button on your bed if you need anything." With one last smile, he stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Harley's eyelids felt heavy. "Dunno why m'so tired," he said with a yawn.

"Comas aren't like regular sleep," said Prism, "And you've had a lot of excitement."

"Guess so… G'night Prism."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long time, no see my guys! It's been a while since I last updated, but that's only because I wanted to wait for my beta to look it over. Only the best for y'all. And as always, many many thank yous to EmeryldLuk for helping out with this story. Feel free to come and scream at me on Twitter or tumblr if an update is taking too long or if you have questions/comments/ideas for the series.
> 
> I hope you guys have been enjoying my Destcember stuff. I've had a lot of fun with the prompts.
> 
> Btw, a warm welcome back to Harley! He's been through a lot, but he's back. And how many of you expected to see the Exo Stranger again? I always thought more should've been done with her in the game.
> 
> P.S. The link to my writing/art Discord server can be found here (https://discord.gg/tYmqd2k) as well as on both platforms. Everyone is welcome, even if you aren't a writer/artist!


	16. Visitors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The storm, previously on the horizon, has arrived, plunging the system into chaos. The City is in more danger than ever as new enemies arise in the Plaguelands and old ones return from the Deep. Technology running rampant. A father with a score to settle. There is only one solution: divide and conquer. But sometimes even the Sky can fall to the Deep.

**"Only when the Traveler is extinguished will the universe be free to arrange itself, and assume, by ruthless contest, its final perfect shape, a shape which depends on nothing but itself." - XXXVI: Eater of Hope**

* * *

The next time Harley woke, he found Jade sitting in the chair. When she noticed him stirring, she smiled softly. "Hi Harley."

"Hey Jade…" He rubbed his eyes. "When did you get in here?"

"Just a few minutes ago."

Harley frowned. "Why didn't you wake me up? Watching someone sleep is-" He coughed. "Super boring. And not to mention, creepy."

"You think I'm boring and creepy?" Jade asked in a teasing tone.

"Not what I meant. Don't twist my words… But I'm glad to see you."

"I'm glad to see you too, Harley. We were getting pretty worried about you."

"I'm fine. See?" Jade didn't say anything, but from the look on her face, it was clear she didn't believe him. "Jade I-" He coughed again. "I swear I'm ok."

"You don't sound ok."

"It's just this- ugh. This stupid cough. That's all."

"If you say so…" Something in her voice sounded out of place. Harley couldn't put his finger on it, but she seemed to be mentally gearing up for something. "Harley, I… have something to tell you."

Nail on the head. He should become a full-time psychic. "Ok?"

She exhaled audibly, staring at the floor. "I'm not sure this is the best time, but I feel like I should tell you that I… I had a crush on you for a while."

Harley felt his mind blank out for a second. He wasn't sure what he'd expected her to say, but this wasn't even close to it. At first, he thought she was joking. But after going over a few of their interactions in the past, he wondered how he missed it. Was he really that oblivious? Then her phrasing registered with him. "Wait. You said 'had'?"

Jade nodded. "I think your disappearance helped me finally get over it."

He smiled wryly. "What happened to 'ab-'" Cough. "'-absence makes the heart grow fonder?'" He wasn't sure why he was making jokes, but Jade had sprung this on him pretty suddenly.

"I suppose in most cases… But I've been thinking about my feelings towards you since you disappeared and I realized I don't really like you in _that_ way. I fell in love with the _idea_ of you and it just took me a while to realize that it wasn't fair to you or to myself."

"So you're dumping me?" asked Harley with a smile.

Jade rolled her eyes. "I can't dump someone I've never dated."

"It's probably good that you're-" Cough. "-dumping me anyway. Ever since I was revived, well… out of the things I've been focusing on, romance hasn't even made the top ten."

"It's harder for Guardians," said Jade, "The only people we can really have long-term relationships with are other Guardians."

Harley nodded. "'Cause we'll outlive normal people… Or die tragically young."

"Well, yes, but that's not the only reason... Most people have some idea of what Guardians do, but they wouldn't be able to understand it in the same way since they haven't lived it like we have."

Harley nodded. Jade's words were all too true. There were some things you could only share with other Guardians. However, there were also those that even other Guardians couldn't hope to understand. Like what happened to him. No matter what the med team said or how many notes that 'Asher Mir' took, they wouldn't see past the end results.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. "Come in," said Harley. He was surprised when it was Cayde that walked in.

"Yo. What's cookin'?" Jade rose from her seat. "Whoa. No need to get up on my account."

"No, it's fine," she said, "I was just on my way out." She smiled at Harley. "I'll stop by again soon."

"Sounds good," said Harley, "See you later."

"See you later."

Once she was safely out of hearing range, Jade let out a heavy sigh. "What's wrong?" Delta asked instantly.

"Oh, it's… nothing. It's fine, Delta."

"Jade, something's bothering you. I can tell. Did it...have anything to do with what just happened?"

Jade's shoulders slumped slightly. "How did you know?"

"It wasn't a hard guess. But I don't understand. I would think that getting all that off your chest would be...healing? Or that it would make it easier."

"Maybe it would have. But...I'm sorry to say that I was lying through my teeth." She gave an empty laugh. "I'm not over it, Delta. What I said in there...that was probably the most unconvincing... _bullshit_ I've ever spouted."

"Oh, Jade… I feel like I have to tell you that you just made this situation so much harder on yourself. Did you think that by telling him you were over it, you would make it go away?" Jade could only nod. Delta sighed in sympathy. "I'm sorry I can't be of much help. I don't have much personal experience when it comes to love."

Jade felt her face heat up. "It's not _love_ , Delta, it's just… it… I don't know _what_ it is. Anyway, I couldn't move on without closing that door first."

"All I can say is I hope your plan works. If it doesn't, you'll just suffer more for it."

"I know, Delta. I hope it works too."

* * *

"So what's up with her?" asked Cayde.

"She just-" Harley coughed. "-broke up with me."

"What?! You mean you two were canoodlin'?"

"Nope."

The Exo sounded confused. "Then why's she breakin' up with you?"

"It's a long story."

Cayde shrugged. "Whatever." He sat down in Jade's abandoned chair and leaned back, putting his feet up on Harley's bed. "S'good to see you awake, kid."

"Thanks."

"How ya holdin' up?"

"I'm ok. Should be out in a-" Cough. "-couple days."

"Good to hear. You had me worryin' y'know. A lot of us were. Ikora, Zavala, your friends. Hell, I think even Asher was worried 'bout you in his own way."

Harley smiled. "Then I guess you guys can stop worrying now."

"That's what the med team's been sayin'. 'No lasting effects.' ...Kinda hard to believe."

"Well, it's true. I'm gonna be-" Cough. "-fine."

"Yeah. You sound _really_ convincing, kid."

"It's just my sore throat. It'll go away."

"Right. Well, then you rest up." Cayde got out of the chair and stretched out his back. "When you're outta here, make sure to come find me and we'll get a drink. Whaddaya say?"

"Sounds a heck of a lot better than my last month has been."

Cayde nodded. "Welp...gotta get back to it. I'll catch ya later, kid."

"Bye," said Harley. Cayde gave a two-fingered salute before opening the door and leaving the room.

"It's nice that you're getting so many visitors," said Prism.

Harley nodded. "Yeah… Oh, that reminds me… Someone else visited the night before Kaedro."

"You were awake? And you didn't tell me?" The Ghost sounded hurt.

"Sorry. I didn't want to bother you. But anyway, I saw the Exo Stranger again."

"What?!"

"Yeah, she was just sitting there."

"What did she say?"

"She warned me about a war."

"A war? Was she referring to the Taken War?"

Harley shook his head. "No. It sounded like she was talking about a future war. One that hasn't happened yet. But it didn't sound like it was too far away."

"Another war… Just what we need."

"That wasn't all. She also told me that my battle would come in three parts: a truth, a betrayal, and a loss."

"Hmm. Well, 'loss' could be pretty much anything. I'm not sure what she could mean by 'truth,' though. A secret? Something about the Traveler or the Light?"

"Maybe. It could be anything really. But what about 'betrayal'? What do you think?"

"The most likely people are those closest to you. The other Chasers?"

Harley shook his head. "No. They wouldn't do that."

"Oh I'm sorry," said Prism dryly, "I didn't know you were so clairvoyant." She paused. "Still… I have to agree with you. None of them seem like the type. Also, if someone's going to betray you, it would most likely be for their own personal gain. None of your teammates have anything to gain from betraying you... At least not currently."

"Maybe we should talk about this some other time. I think I'm starting to get paranoid."

"I don't blame you. It was a very ominous warning."

"It's probably not as bad as we're thinking," said Harley, "I mean, we don't know what _kind_ of betrayal. It could be something like… I dunno, spilling a secret or something. No one said it was gonna end in my death or anything like that."

"I suppose…" Prism sounded doubtful. "We can drop it for now."

Harley nodded. "That sounds like a good idea… I think I'm gonna take a short nap. Apparently being in a coma really took it out of me."

"Alright. Sleep well, Harley."

* * *

Harley's eyes flew open. He wasn't sure how long he'd been asleep. The room had no window and no clock. All he knew was something in the room had woken him. He didn't have to look far before finding the culprit.

An Awoken man with blue skin and white hair stood next to his bed, frowning at the readouts of the machines that monitored Harley 24/7. "Uh, hello?"

"Yes? What do you want?" the man asked shortly.

"...Who are you?"

The man sighed. "I am Asher Mir and I have better things to do than answer the questions of some random Hunter."

_Asher Mir?_ So this was the Warlock Kaedro had warned him about. "Did you… were you helping with my recovery?"

"I conducted the research on your condition and made the calculations to facilitate your recovery, yes," snapped Asher, "What does it matter?"

"Oh… Well, thank you."

Asher waved his hand impatiently. "Yes, yes. Now be quiet! I prefer to work in silence."

Harley kept silent for a few minutes as Asher continued to jot down notes on a cluttered notepad. He wondered what the Warlock could possibly be interested in? After a couple more minutes, he decided to ask. "What are-" Cough. "-you doing?"

Asher rolled his eyes and turned to glare at Harley. "I am _attempting_ to make note of things that may be important when I write my thesis."

Harley frowned. "What thesis?"

"My thesis on the interaction between opposite paracausal forces!"

"What?"

"About how Light and Darkness react to each other," said Prism.

"To put it _very_ simply, yes. And you, Hunter, have given me all the proof I needed to support my latest theory."

"Wait. So you're writing about… _me_? Aren't-" Cough. "Aren't you gonna ask me questions about what happened?"

"Why would I? My research has given me everything required. I do not enjoy interaction nor do I have need of it! As soon as my thesis is complete, I plan to continue my research on the Vex."

"The Vex? Are you going to Mercury, then? Or Venus?" "Neither! I believe the key to deeper knowledge of Vex constructs can be found on Io."

" _Io_?"

"Yes, Hunter. Io. Every Vex machine world contains a Pyramidion, a machinoforming engine that houses massive repositories of information and the Pyramidion on Io is the most accessible."

"You're planning to go _into_ this pyramid-thing?"

"Pyramidion! And yes. How else will I obtain the information I need?"

"But that's-" Cough. "- _suicide_! The Vex can control time itself! I've been inside the Vault of Glass twice and-"

"I am aware of that! A pity none of you thought to gather data. Guardians these days have no respect for the scientific method! Anyway, I do not remember asking for _your_ input, Hunter. You can give your opinion after you read the book my research into the Vex will produce."

"But if you-"

"You have wasted my time enough today, Hunter." He opened the door. "You would do well to read one of my books. Perhaps you will discover something of use." With that, he left the room.

Harley sat there for a few moments, trying to wrap his mind around the exchange. "So _that_ was Asher?"

"Yes," said Prism, "Sorry for how he behaved. He's always like that."

"Talking about things no one but he can understand and-" Cough. "-insulting people with every other sentence?"

"Pretty much."

"Well, he's not the _nicest_ person I've met… but he also saved my life so I don't mind too much."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, Merry Christmas to those of you who celebrate. I was planning to upload this chapter tomorrow but I felt since it was Christmas, I might as well do it today. Harley got visits from a few more people and can I just say that I love Asher Mir as a character?
> 
> Anyway, I wish all of you Happy Holidays and I'll see you in chapter 17.
> 
> \- TheWolfParadox


	17. Recovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The storm, previously on the horizon, has arrived, plunging the system into chaos. The City is in more danger than ever as new enemies arise in the Plaguelands and old ones return from the Deep. Technology running rampant. A father with a score to settle. There is only one solution: divide and conquer. But sometimes even the Sky can fall to the Deep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eternal thanks to EmeryldLuk, my fantastic beta, who's prevented me from both writing myself in circles and making some astronomically idiotic mistakes

**"To make his ship, Oryx scrimshawed one piece of Akka, who was dead but far from gone. He stole the Hammer of Xivu Arath and the Scalpel of Savathun and he armored his ship in baneful armor." - XLI: Dreadnaught**

* * *

Four days. Harley had spent four days in the med bay and he was beginning to get restless. You could only lie in a bed for so long before it started wearing on you. So when Ryan walked in and informed him that he'd be released, it was easily the best news he'd heard since he'd woken up.

Ryan left him alone while he changed into the t-shirt and sweatpants that Prism had retrieved for him. Harley stood up, his shoes feeling odd after weeks of not wearing them. His legs were shaking with disuse as he made for the door, and while he did stumble a few times, he managed not to fall.

Ryan opened the door for him. "I'll lead you out."

Harley followed him through the med bay and out into the glowing sunlight. His eyes teared up as they adjusted after spending such a long time with the artificial lights of the med bay.

"Congratulations," said Ryan with a smile, "You made it out." He put a friendly hand on Harley's shoulder. "Good luck. Remember, you're always welcome here if you run into any complications."

Harley grinned. "You said it yourself: no lasting effects."

"Right." Ryan's smile seemed to fade slightly but only for a split second as it was back in full force the next time he looked.

"Thanks for everything," said Harley.

Ryan chuckled. "Just doing my job."

"Yeah… I'll see you around."

"See you around, Harley." Harley turned, heading in the direction of the plaza. He wanted to pay a visit to the Vanguard and now seemed as good a time as any.

As he entered the Vanguard's room, he was met with mostly surprised but somewhat concerned looks from Ikora and Zavala. Cayde, however, sounded relieved as he addressed him. "Ace! Come to take me up on that drink?"

Harley laughed. "Now probably isn't the best time. I just got released from med bay."

"Welcome back, Hayden," said Zavala, "It's good to see you're recovering well."

"Thanks, sir," said Harley, "I just came to ask about my next mission."

The Vanguard exchanged a look. "Your next mission?" said Ikora.

"Yeah. Is there anything you guys need me for?"

"Hm," said Cayde, "Well, Kay wanted-"

"I don't think that is the wisest course of action at the moment," said Ikora, shooting the Exo a pointed look before returning her attention to Harley. "Harley, you were just released today. Sending you out on a mission risks prolonging your recovery."

"But I'm completely recovered! There's nothing wrong with me!"

"That may be so, but it's still a risk. Take the rest of the week at least."

"The rest of the _week_?!"

"Yes. I will have Amanda keep your ship grounded as a precaution. You aren't the first Guardian to take on missions sooner than you can handle."

Harley sighed. "Fine. If that's what you think is best… I'll wait."

"Thank you, Harley."

Harley nodded once before leaving. "I don't get it," he said to Prism as he climbed the steps to the plaza. "Why're they doing this?"

"They're worried about you," his Ghost replied, "You _did_ give us all quite a scare, you know. Ikora's just looking out for you."

"Six more days of boredom, here I come…" Suddenly, he brightened. "Wait a sec, Cayde was about to tell me something about Kay before Ikora interrupted him. I know I can't go out in the field but I can… I dunno, provide technical support or something."

He changed directions, heading toward the Guardians' quarters. Prism sighed. "You never give up…"

* * *

"I don't get it," said Cayde, "Why didn't you let him go? The med team themselves told us he'd be fine after a few days' rest."

"I don't doubt that Harley could handle a mission right now," said Ikora.

"Then why-"

"The issue is, the next mission, the mission you were about to share with him is infiltrating Oryx's Throneworld itself. Harley is an incredible Guardian, but I don't think it's wise to expose him to that just yet."

Zavala frowned. "What are you saying?"

"I think I will keep the rest of my theories to myself for now… I don't think any of us want a repeat of what happened last time."

Zavala nodded. "Very well. If you have a reason for concern… I trust your judgment. But Hayden will eventually go on that mission. We cannot keep a Guardian out of the field forever."

"I know. And my concern may prove to be misfounded. Time alone will tell…"

* * *

Kaedro was watching reruns of some random show from the City when he heard someone knock on his door. He paused the show and got up to open it, feeling a flash of surprise when he saw Harley standing outside. "Ace! Good to see you!"

"Hey," said Harley with a smile.

"I'm guessing you've been discharged from the med bay?"

"Yeah. They released me just a little while ago… But that's not why I'm here."

"Hmm. What's up?"

"I was just talking to the Vanguard and Cayde mentioned you. Something about a mission?"

"Oh." Kaedro's guard went up. "What about it?"

"Well, I was just wondering what it was and if you needed any help."

Kaedro grew even warier. "Um, well, actually, the mission Cayde's talking about is no longer happening."

"Really?"

"Yeah." He laughed. "Guess it was a false alarm or something."

"Then why did he mention it?"

"Um, probably 'cause I… haven't told him yet. In fact, I was just about to head over there when you knocked."

"Oh," said Harley disappointedly.

"Yeah. Sorry 'bout that."

"No, it's fine… Well, don't let me keep you."

"Right." Kaedro stepped out, shutting the door behind him. "It's good to see you up and around. If you'd like, we can meet in the mess hall later?"

"Sounds good."

"Alright. Later, Ace." He waved at his friend before setting off along the walkway.

"I don't understand," said Jyn as they descended the stairs, "Why did you lie to him?"

Kaedro sighed. "If there's one thing about Ace any idiot knows, it's that he doesn't know his limits. The guy just got out of a _coma_ for Light's sake! I'm no idiot, Jyn. I _know_ he shouldn't be out in the field yet. And I bet the Vanguard agree with me."

"Well, I'm sure they'd appreciate you keeping him out of it then. I know _I_ would if you were in Harley's place."

"Exactly. But if I know Ace, he's not gonna want to just sit around. Means we gotta find ways to distract him."

Jyn hummed thoughtfully. "Prism told me he's only been to the City once. A day down there might do him some good."

"I like that idea. Maybe Ace, Jade, and I could all go together. We could even invite Liv and the others. They haven't met Ace yet. At least, not properly."

"Great!" said Jyn, "You can talk about it this evening."

"Sounds like a plan."

* * *

Harley sighed as he sat down. While it would be nice to have actual food again, he would've been much happier with a mission to look forward to. The Tower was great and all, but he'd grown used to exploring other planets as well as the excitement of battle. Not to mention the fact that he really missed flying. There was something intrinsically calming about warpspace that made a nice balance with the adrenaline rush he got from the maneuvers he would use in the atmosphere. He started to eat, only pausing when Kaedro sat down across from him.

"Sup Ace."

"Hey," said Harley. He resumed eating.

"Look," said Kaedro, "I know you're probably bummed about how you can't go on missions, so why don't we head to the City tomorrow and hang out? I know Jade'd be interested and the others might even be able to come."

"Others?"

"Yeah. I think I mentioned it but when Jade and I were on the Dreadnaught, we met another fireteam. They're called Fireteam Calypso and they've helped out on other missions since then."

"Oh. That's cool."

Harley cringed. He could _hear_ how unexcited he sounded. He really _did_ think it was cool to have other Guardians around but all he could think about was how he'd basically been replaced. He cleared his throat. "Sorry. Just tired right now."

"Really? You've been sleeping a lot... Comas must be worse than I thought."

"Yeah… But it's a good idea. I haven't seen much of the City."

"Awesome. We'll head out whenever everyone's ready tomorrow. I'm guessing you'll wanna sleep in?"

Harley shrugged. "Probably." He usually did.

"Alright. We'll just see what the others want once everyone's up."

"Sounds good." He stood up. "I think I'm gonna turn in."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I'm not that hungry."

Kaedro shrugged. "Suit yourself, man. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, see you then."

He left the mess hall thinking about the trip. _I hope we see more than just a bar this time. It's the Last Safe City, there_ have _to be some pretty cool things to see there._ He remembered his excitement at potentially visiting the City as a new Guardian and speculated on his current apathy. He couldn't pinpoint anything that would change his feelings so suddenly and eventually shrugged it off, blinking in surprise as he realized he was standing in front of his door. _I really must be tired._ He unlocked the door and entered the room, turning on the light.

"Glad to be back?" said Prism.

"Yeah. It'll be nice to sleep in my own bed again... But I think I'm gonna take a shower first. You don't have to wait up."

"Alright. Goodnight, Harley. I'll see you in the morning."

"See you in the morning, Prism."

As his Ghost hovered over to the dresser to power down, Harley grabbed some loose clothes and headed into the bathroom. Standing under the hot water felt better than he could've imagined. He was incredibly reluctant to turn it off, but he forced himself to do it. Soon, his teeth were brushed and he was ready to get some sleep. He got into bed and in almost no time at all, he was drifting off.

* * *

The stone was hard and unforgiving as Harley's knees pressed into it.

As he stared upward into the eyes of the Taken King, he felt tiny, insignificant. This was a being older than civilization, a creature that had seen the furthest reaches of the universe and toppled entire worlds. A Hive God that could crush him in a nanosecond if he wished.

As he watched, Oryx summoned an orb that sang with the power of Darkness. Harley knew what was coming and tried with all his might to move, but it was as though he was paralyzed. He couldn't even scream as Oryx drove the orb into him, laughing in triumph. His vision was consumed by Darkness and he could not move a muscle.

Oryx's laughter rang loud in his ears, drowning out all other sounds.

" **Child of the Sky... You shall drift."**

Harley gasped, lurching upright. His eyes burned at the light filling the room as he tore frantically at the sheets tangled around his legs. His limbs were covered in a cold sweat that rendered his shower useless.

He stood in the middle of the room for a few moments before moving to sit down on the couch, rubbing his eyes.

The last time he'd had a nightmare that bad had been the night before the others left when he dreamt of the fate of Mara Sov and the Awoken. And even before that, he had been no stranger to bad dreams. They'd haunted him for weeks following his return from Mercury. They'd been constantly changing but the location was always the same. Mechanically carved structures filled with the glowing eyes of the Vex. The sun as it sat on the horizon, beating down like the heat of an enormous forge. There had been times even when he was awake that Harley thought he could still feel the sting of sand whipping against his skin. But eventually, the dreams had faded.

 _Hopefully, these will too._ He glanced at his clock. _4:46. Close enough._

He rose from the couch and walked over to his closet to grab some clothes. As he moved about the room, getting ready, Prism rose from her spot on the dresser to float over to him. "What are you doing up?"

Harley shrugged. "Guess I've filled my sleep quota for a while."

"Sure. I'll just pretend those _aren't_ circles under your eyes… Is something wrong?"

"Honestly, I'm fine. Just couldn't fall back asleep." He opened the door. "You coming?"

"Of course," said Prism.

Harley stepped out into the chilly morning air with a shiver. It was always eerie being up so early. The Tower was dead silent and the graying of the sky in the east was all that told him dawn was on its way.

His Ghost commented on the atmosphere as well. "You know, even though I still think you need more sleep, the Tower feels very… peaceful."

"Yeah."

"It's almost like the world is on pause."

Harley scoffed. "Someone should tell the aliens that."

Even the earliest, most silent hours of the morning wouldn't stop the Taken from spreading across the system. The Taken. Harley fought down a shiver just thinking about them. With their twitching, corrupted bodies and their soulless, empty eyes…

"-rley? Hellooo?"

Harley's mind seemed to do a complete one-eighty as he focused on Prism. "Yeah?"

"You completely zoned out! I was trying to get your attention for two minutes!" she reproached.

"Oh. Sorry."

"It's fine. Probably just a side-effect of your exhaustion. You should've stayed in bed."

"Prism, you _know_ how hard it is for me to go back to sleep once I'm awake. Also, I think calling it 'exhaustion' is a bit dramatic."

Prism sighed. "Maybe so, but I still hold out hope that someday you'll take my advice."

It was Harley's turn to sigh. He loved his Ghost to death, but she could be overbearing sometimes. Granted, this time it wasn't her fault that she was reacting the way she was. It was his. He fought back a stab of guilt at how much he'd put her through in the past few months. _I should've been more careful on that mission._

"What are you thinking about?" Prism asked.

"Huh?"

"You just looked like you were trying to solve Ivanov's Conundrum."

"Ivanuh… what?"

"Nevermind. I just wondered what you were concentrating on."

"Oh… I was just wondering if the mess hall would be open this early."

"Well, there's no harm in checking. Let's go!"

As it turned out, the mess hall _was_ open and as well-stocked as ever. Harley sat down with a coffee and a bagel and tried to forget the events of the night before by talking to Prism. She could be quite talkative when the mood struck and ever since he'd woken up, she seemed to be on some kind of high. That meant that Harley didn't have to work very hard in the conversation, which was fine with him.

Eventually, the other inhabitants of the Tower were up and about, and it wasn't long before Kaedro entered the mess hall. He snagged a cup of coffee before crossing to sit down at Harley's table. "Morning, Ace. Why're you sitting so far away?"

It took him a second to see what Kaedro meant. Their table was tucked into the corner of the mess hall. He shrugged. "I dunno. I wasn't exactly _analyzing_ the mess hall for which table to sit at."

Kaedro nodded. "Fair enough… I messaged the others. They'll probably be in later. Jade's on her way though."

"...That's good."

For whatever reason, the conversation was feeling extremely awkward to Harley. It was almost like he wasn't sure what to say or how to react to what Kaedro was saying. "So where in the City are we going?"

"Well, I was thinking we'd take a look around the shops and things. The City's got a lot of parks and plazas that're worth seeing."

Harley nodded. "Sounds good to me. As long as it's not a bar... I'd rather not drink at seven in the morning."

Kaedro laughed. "Few people would. Nah, we'll save the bar for later, if everyone wants to go."

"Yeah."

"Good morning, Kaedro," called Jade's voice, "Good morning, Harley."

Kaedro raised his coffee to her.

"Morning, Jade," said Harley.

Jade sat down, a coffee and a muffin in hand. "So what's the plan for today?"

"Sightseeing," said Kaedro.

She nodded. "Any bars?"

He shrugged. "If we get the urge, we can find one later. But no bar tours like last time."

"Good." Her lips thinned. "I'd rather not have a repeat of last time."

Harley looked between Kaedro and Jade. "What happened last time?"

Jade shook her head. "Nothing major… Just someone that needed to be put in their place."

"You can say _that_ again," said Kaedro.

"Anyway… what time are Liv and the others joining us?" asked Jade.

Kaedro shrugged. "Search me! I don't even get up this early. Only happened today 'cause Prism told me Ace was up."

"What?" said Harley. He turned on his Ghost. "You woke Kaedro up?"

"I just thought you'd like some company," said Prism defensively.

Harley turned back to Kaedro. "I'm sorry she did that. I would've stopped her if I'd known."

Kaedro waved him off. "It's fine, Ace. I'm a Guardian. I can take being woken up at a normal time. Besides, I've had worse. Used to pull a lot of all-nighters back when I was a kinder-Guardian."

Jade's head tilted to the side as she frowned thoughtfully. "Do you still get the urge to yawn, even though you're an Exo?"

"Yup. I still yawn. In fact, you talking about yawning makes me want to…" His words were cut off by a huge yawn.

Jade laughed. "Stop it! You'll make me…" She yawned. "Yawns are contagious."

Kaedro started laughing and pretty soon they were both cracking up in between yawns. Harley's lips twitched as he watched the exchange, but he didn't feel the same giddiness his friends seemed to be experiencing. He felt bad that Kaedro'd been woken up early on his account.

Kaedro's interface beeped and the Exo looked down. "Nice. They're on their way over."

"Ready to meet some new faces?" asked Prism.

Harley should've felt more than ready, considering how few Guardians stuck around. Instead, he just felt tired. "Sure," he said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. It's been a while. Not sure exactly how long cuz I don't remember when I posted last. But that doesn't matter right now! Let's get down to it... I have a couple of chapters ready to go. I'm currently planning to post the next one at the end of this week, but if you guys want to see it badly enough, I'm willing to upload it earlier. If you want Chapter 18 earlier, let me know by leaving a comment with your favorite part of the story so far. I'd like to know what you want to see more of :)
> 
> For those of you new to this Chasing Fate family, you can find all CF-related works in the Chasing Fate community. That includes the oneshots and Destcember stories. If any of you want to write stories around any of my OCs, you are more than welcome!
> 
> That's pretty much all I've got for today! You can come and scream at me on Tumblr or Twitter (arcaneglitch for both). If you're interested, I run a writing/art discord with spaces for brainstorming, making requests, and showing off creations. The link to the server is on my Twitter profile.
> 
> Until next time, friends!
> 
> \- TheWolfParadox


	18. Tourists

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The storm, previously on the horizon, has arrived, plunging the system into chaos. The City is in more danger than ever as new enemies arise in the Plaguelands and old ones return from the Deep. Technology running rampant. A father with a score to settle. There is only one solution: divide and conquer. But sometimes even the Sky can fall to the Deep.

**"When Oryx built his Dreadnaught, he pushed his Throneworld inside out, so that it bled into the material space of the Dreadnaught. They were coterminous and allied, his ship and his sin. The Dreadnaught was within the throne of Oryx, but the throne of Oryx was the Dreadnaught. Aiat!" - XLI: Dreadnaught**

* * *

The first of Fireteam Calypso to enter the mess hall didn't cut a very impressive figure; at least, on the surface. She had an incredibly small stature. Harley was pretty sure she didn't stand over five feet, making her the first Guardian he'd met that was shorter than him. Hunters tended to run on the smaller side and while he wasn't exactly short, almost everyone else he'd met had at least a couple inches on him. She had teal skin and short, shaggy dark purple hair. On her right was a human with pale skin and dark brown hair that reached the bottom of his neck. He was a few inches taller than Harley, making him seem like a giant next to the first Guardian. To the left walked a Guardian who was even taller than the man. Jet black hair tumbled down her shoulders in loose waves as her hazel eyes shot a cold warning. She didn't look like someone Harley would be keen to mess with. Calypso stopped a few feet in front of them.

The Awoken Guardian's golden eyes flicked over to Harley as she scanned his face. "You're Ace, right?" She stuck out her hand, "Liv Marko, Hunter."

Harley blinked. "Nice to meet you," he said, shaking her hand.

She nodded and gestured to her right. "This is Tristan Bentlix, Warlock" Tristan gave a small wave. Harley nodded to him. Liv gestured to her left. "And this is Kai Grayham, Titan" "Hey." Kai met his gaze for a few seconds before looking past him. "So you wanted to go to the City today?"

"Yeah," said Kaedro, "Ace hasn't seen much of it, so I thought we'd walk around, visit some shops."

Liv nodded. "Nice," she said, "I'm game to leave now if you guys are ready."

"Sure." Kaedro looked at Harley. "You good to go?" Harley nodded. "Jade?"

"Yep."

He clapped his hands together. "Right! Let's hit the road, then."

* * *

During his first visit to the City, Harley hadn't looked around much, being somewhat preoccupied with the departure of his teammates. But now he was wishing he had. There was so much to look at that he didn't know where to start. Banners, flags, and lanterns were abundant in the streets. Colorful signs and posters decorated the fronts of shops. People milled about in various styles of clothing, living out their lives. _It's crazy to think they can go on like normal while a war's raging in the rest of the system._

"There should be a park just up ahead," said Kaedro.

"Perfect," said Liv, "It's really hard to eat and walk at the same time." She rotated her cone, making sure it wasn't about to drip anywhere.

Kai snorted. "You're a Hunter. You're supposed to be good at things like that."

"Eating ice cream and walking?" asked Kaedro, "...That's either really specific… or you're just trying to call us fat."

Kai shrugged. Liv scoffed. "That's funny, seeing as you're like, three times my weight."

"You mean this?" asked Kai, pointing to her flexed bicep, "This is called muscle. Also known as something that us Titans have more of."

"Yeah, but where are you in the brains department?" said Liv with a grin.

"Trailing behind these Warlock nerds like the rest of you," said Kai, gesturing towards Jade and Tristan. Jade laughed over her mint chip cone. Next to her, Tristan ducked his head with an embarrassed smile.

"Here we are," said Kaedro.

Harley looked up. The small square was filled with trees and fountains. Concrete paths snaked their way through them, passing by benches and picnic tables. A few other people were enjoying the park as well. From the old men on one of the benches to the young children that chased each other across the grass. Harley felt himself relaxing a little bit. This place was so far removed from the violence outside that he thought he might come to feel peaceful in a way he hadn't felt for a long time. The others sat down at one of the picnic tables to finish their ice cream.

Kaedro leaned back against it. "Man… It _pays_ to get outta that Tower every once in a while."

"I'll say," said Liv.

"Mmm." Jade nodded. "I feel like I could actually forget everything for a little while. The Hive, the Taken, the war. It's all just so far away here."

The other Guardians nodded in agreement, letting the conversation lapse into silence. Harley began to zone out, eyes fixing blankly on whatever was ahead of him. He was only snapped out of it by the flash of bronze as Prism appeared next to him.

"Everything going well?" He nodded. "You seem quiet. You sure you didn't want to get ice cream back there?"

He shook his head. "I'm good."

"Well, you might want to explain that to the lady you've been staring at."

"Huh?"

Harley blinked and looked around. Sure enough, a woman sitting some distance away was watching him suspiciously. He realized with some embarrassment that he'd probably been creeping her out with his blank stare. He smiled at her and gave a small wave to try and reassure her that he wasn't trying to be creepy. But instead of smiling or nodding, the woman turned to the little girl that had run up to her.

Harley's smile faded as he saw the woman say something to the child before proceeding to point across the park at him. Harley dropped his gaze and turned back to his friends. "I think I'm ready to go."

Liv's gaze was questioning and Kai narrowed her eyes. Kaedro merely shrugged. "Sure, we can keep going. There's more stuff to see anyway." He gave a sigh and got to his feet.

The others rose as well. "Where to next?" asked Tristan.

"That depends… Anyone feel like a shopping trip?"

"Sure," said Liv, "And one of you'd better buy me something good."

"Mooching off your friends?" said Kaedro, "Liv, I'm disappointed."

Liv rolled her eyes. "Please. I've only known you for a few months and I still know that you get more than enough glimmer out of your poker games and whatnot. You probably make more from a night of hustling pool than I make in a month of looting."

"Ok someone's been talking behind my back. How'd you find out about that stuff?"

"Cayde, Tevis...you've played against a lot of people. Especially Hunters."

Kaedro shrugged. "What can I say? We love a good gamble." He snapped his fingers. "That reminds me… Ace, I totally forgot you asked me to teach you poker!"

Harley frowned. He couldn't recall having said any such thing. "When?"

"Not sure. Sometime after we beat Crota."

"Oh." That had been a long time ago. "Guess I forgot."

"Doesn't matter. I'm game anytime. Probably won't happen till after we-" He cut himself off with a glance at Harley. "Nevermind."

"What?"

Kaedro shook his head. "Mission. I shouldn't've said anything. I don't want to make you feel worse about being stuck at the Tower… Let's get going." They started to walk back toward the street.

Suddenly, Harley felt someone watching him. He looked sharply to the right. A teenager stood a short ways away, holding up some kind of device. It was almost like… _Like he's taking my picture._

Harley turned away and kept walking, head down. He wasn't sure why some random kid would be taking pictures of him, but it made him uneasy. Once they were further down the path, he glanced back and saw that the kid was typing into the device, most likely messaging someone. Could he be sending the picture to someone else? Who? Who would care about a picture of a Guardian? Then the answer dawned on him, sending a chill down his spine. _Our enemies._ Could it be true? Could the Guardians have enemies inside the City? It scared him that he couldn't deny the possibility.

* * *

"Tristan! Tristan! Come see!" Harley watched as Liv dragged the Warlock over to some necklaces she'd had her eye on. "He says they're real Ahamkara teeth!"

Tristan frowned as he examined the jewelry. "Who said that?"

Liv pointed to the shopkeeper, who nodded his head eagerly. "Indeed, young man. You won't find these in just _any_ shop. They are the genuine article! And only 2000 glimmer apiece."

"It'd be so cool to have a _real_ Ahamkara tooth!" said Liv excitedly, "The other Hunters would be _so_ jealous."

"Liv, they aren't real," said Tristan.

"Now just a minute-" the shopkeeper began.

"I'm sorry, but the Ahamkara were hunted to extinction a long time ago… Their bones and teeth are rarely found even among Guardians. If these were real, they'd be worth a lot more than 2000 glimmer. Besides, you can see the seam here…" He picked up one of the teeth and ran his finger along it.

Liv sighed in disappointment. "Damn. I really want a real one… Thanks, Tristan."

Harley wandered out of the shop into the plaza to look for Kaedro, Kai, and Jade. The City had many market squares, all impressive to behold. Shops lined the sides and colorful stalls filled the rest of the space from which vendors advertised their merchandise. Everything from fresh fruit to machine parts was being sold and Harley had to work hard to get anywhere through the hustle and bustle of people doing their shopping.

Bad luck finally caught up to him when, in the process of sidestepping a woman with an overfilled basket, he caught his foot on a raised paving stone and toppled forward with a cry. Fortunately, someone grabbed him before he could hit the ground, hauling him back to his feet. The gray-haired man brushed him off, looking concerned. "You alright there, young man? That could have turned very nasty."

Harley nodded. "I'm alright, thanks. Sorry about that."

"No worries, no worries," said the man. Harley was turning away to resume the search for his friends, when the man spoke again. "Just a moment... Don't I know you from somewhere?"

Harley turned back. "I don't think so."

He made to leave again, but the man's grip tightened on his arm as he studied Harley's face. "No, no. I never forget a face…" His mouth fell open. "You're that Guardian, aren't you? The Guardian from Mercury?"

Harley was beginning to feel extremely uncomfortable as he tried to extricate himself from the man's grip. "I-I'm afraid you've mistaken me for someone else."

"Nonsense! You're him! Ace Hayden! The one they call Crota's End!"

They'd already been causing something of a scene, but the man's words pushed it over the edge. Immediately, other people nearby turned, craning their necks to see past one another.

"Is it true?" asked a woman next to Harley, "Are you really Ace Hayden?"

"Yes it's true!" said the man, "I never forget a face! I said so!"

The rest of the crowd began to press in for a better look. Some of them began tapping and tugging at Harley, clamoring at him. "Ace! Sign my shirt!"

"Sign my hat!"

"Tell us what Mercury was like!"

"I wanna know how you beat Crota!"

The horde kept pushing inward, pelting him with questions. Their words twisted and blended into each other, melting into the screeching of the Hive as they clawed at his arms, his shoulders, at any part of him that they could reach. Harley felt like a stone hand was pressing down on his chest, stealing his air and stalling his movements. He felt his panic rising as they tore at him, reaching out to grab him. They'd haul him back to Oryx and then the darkness, the terrible suffocating darkness would come back.

Harley felt electricity crackle across his fingertips. A wave of relief consumed him. He still had his Light. He could make them all go away. He reached for the power as the howls of the Hive whirled around him. But just as he was about to unleash the energy, something collided with him from behind. A pair of powerful arms wrapped around his midsection as he fell to the ground. He gasped as a crushing weight dropped on him, pinning him to the ground. He struggled to get away from whatever it was, thrashing and kicking.

"Hayden."

He ignored the voice. He had to get away.

"Hayden, calm down! It's _Kai_."

He didn't care who the voice was, he just wanted it to leave. He thrashed harder, but the arms around him only tightened.

"Harley Hayden, you need to calm the _hell_ down. You're in the middle of the marketplace right now and people are giving us funny looks... If you stop struggling, I'll get off."

The words finally registered with Harley and he forced himself to freeze. The weight shifted, lifting off of him enough that he was able to turn over. Kai was crouching in front of him, her arms still extended toward him halfway.

"You good, Hayden?"

Wordlessly, he nodded and allowed her to help him up. The people around them watched with curious, yet wary faces. "C'mon," said Kai, "The others are this way."

Harley followed the Titan through the crowd, hunching in on himself so he was less likely to be noticed. The other four Guardians were standing off to the side, away from the mass of people. They were all looking around, seemingly concerned.

Kaedro was the first to spot him. "Ace!" he called in relief, "Where were you?"

"About two seconds away from Arc Blading a bunch of civilians," answered Kai.

" _What_?"

"Harley, what happened?" asked Jade.

"I… I guess I must've freaked out," said Harley.

Kai scoffed. "Hell of an understatement."

"Guardians don't just go for the Light for no reason," said Liv, "Did something happen?"

Harley shook his head. "It was an accident! I couldn't- I wouldn't- I would _never_ do something like that intentionally!"

The others nodded slowly. "...Are we good to keep going or should we turn back?" asked Kaedro.

"Turn back," said Kai just as Liv said, "Keep going." They stared at each other.

"Ace said it was an accident," said Liv.

"Who's to say an accident like that couldn't happen again?" challenged Kai, "And maybe next time I won't make it there in time to stop him."

"What do you think, Ace?" asked Kaedro.

Harley wasn't about to let their outing be ruined on his account. "I'm good," he insisted.

The Exo looked at him for a long moment. "Alright… then I guess we'll keep going." He sounded doubtful but didn't challenge Harley.

The group began to walk once more, after a few glances back at him. As the cheerful atmosphere gradually edged its way back, Harley couldn't stop thinking about the incident. What happened to him? He still didn't know. One moment everything was perfectly fine and the next he'd seemingly lost his mind. Enough that Kai had apparently felt the need to tackle him. Afterward, he'd felt this odd sensation of disconnect, as though there was some kind of barrier between him and the rest of the world.

Whatever the case, he knew Prism wouldn't let it go easily, so he wasn't surprised in the least when the Ghost appeared next to him. "What happened back there?"

Harley sighed. "Guess I just got overwhelmed for a second." He tried for a smile. "...Won't happen again."

It was Prism's turn to sigh. "Harley, whatever that was, it was more than just getting overwhelmed. You were about to enter a Trance."

"Ok, but it doesn't matter because I _didn't._ "

"Only because _Kai_ was there to stop you."

Harley let out a huff of irritation. "Prism, it's not gonna happen again, ok?"

"And you're sure about that?" His Ghost sounded skeptical.

"Yes, I am. _Trust_ me."

"...Very well. Just... if you start feeling that way again, let me know." Harley nodded and Prism vanished. He hoped the subject wouldn't come up again in future conversations, but knowing his Ghost, it was sure to make an appearance sooner or later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's always some kind of trouble to get up to in the City. I hope y'all enjoyed the chapter. The next one will probably be out next Friday, so be on the lookout.
> 
> Until next time!
> 
> \- TheWolfParadox


	19. The Turn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The storm, previously on the horizon, has arrived, plunging the system into chaos. The City is in more danger than ever as new enemies arise in the Plaguelands and old ones return from the Deep. Technology running rampant. A father with a score to settle. There is only one solution: divide and conquer. But sometimes even the Sky can fall to the Deep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Invite code to my writing Discord server: tYmqd2k  
> ;D

**"Sister it's us. We're the proof, we the Hive: if we last forever, we prove it, and if something more ruthless conquers us, then the proof is sealed." - XLIV: Strict Proof Eternal**

* * *

Kaedro was beginning to wonder if bringing Harley along was such a good idea. The whole point of their outing was to see a bit more of the City and help Harley forget about his forced leave. That being said, watching him sitting wedged into the corner wasn't very promising.

Kaedro sighed. They'd chosen a booth at the back for a reason. Even though a friend of his owned the bar they were at, he'd decided they were better off safe than sorry. Harley was probably the most well-known Guardian in the City at the moment, by name if not by face. Kaedro had been worried after the marketplace that more people would recognize his friend. Thankfully, that hadn't seemed to be the case and the Guardians were able to enjoy the rest of their tour through the City. Though 'enjoy' was subjective as Harley's energy had appeared to be low ever since the market. Kaedro was pretty sure the drink in front of him was still his first one of the evening.

He sighed, watching his friend unhappily. Across from him, an Awoken woman with cropped dark blue hair smirked. "Bad hand?" The others at the table chuckled.

Kaedro turned back to face her. "Why don't you show _your_ hand so you can find out?"

There were a few low whistles at his words. The woman, Shay, arched an eyebrow before laying her cards down on the table and the game progressed. A few minutes later, Kaedro was walking away with a few hundred more Glimmer than he'd had walking in. He sat down at the bar with a satisfied sigh and ordered an old fashioned.

As Kira, the bartender, made his drink, she shot him a knowing smile over the counter. "Got enough to buy your own moon yet?"

Kaedro shook his head. "You kidding? Last I checked, this wasn't what you'd call a 'classy' district."

She shrugged. "Maybe that's so, but last _I_ checked, not every bartender can say they've poured a drink for Ace Hayden."

"Riiiight. About that… you're not gonna tell anyone, are you?"

Kira shook her head. "Don't worry. I ain't a sellout like some you'll find down here. Kid looks like he's got enough to deal with right now."

Kaedro nodded. "Appreciate it. It's nice to know there's someone 'round here who's not only out to boost their rep."

Kira snorted. "If I cared that much 'bout reputation and business, I wouldn't let you guys drink at such a discount."

"You got me there." He sighed and got up. "I think I'll see if anyone wants a rematch."

Kira laughed, shaking her head. "Don't know why I put up with you. All you're good for is driving away my customers with your poker playing."

"What can I say? I'm naturally gifted."

He was on his way back over to the group he'd just played against when suddenly he didn't feel like another game. He decided to change course for Harley's booth, dropping into the seat across from him with a good-natured groan. "Having a good time, Ace?"

"Sure. If sitting here alone with nothing to do counts as a good time."

"Where're the others?"

Harley shrugged. "They're around somewhere. What brings you?"

"You said it yourself: you aren't doing anything. So I think I'm gonna teach you how to play poker."

"Ok?"

Harley's response was less than enthusiastic, but Kaedro was really warming up to his idea and didn't notice. Reaching into his jacket pocket, he withdrew a deck of cards. The box was giving out and the cards visibly had some wear on them. Kaedro could have bought himself a new deck many times, but this one was his lucky deck. He took another sip of his drink.

"Ok before we get into rules and all that, do you know anything about the basic poker hand rankings?" Harley's face scrunched up in confusion. "Yeah, pretty much what I thought. Right. We'll start at the top." He laid out five cards on the table. "This is called a royal flush. That's ace, king, queen, jack, and a ten. They gotta have the same suit, which is that symbol there." Harley nodded. "Then you've got a straight flush which is any sequence in the same suit. Then there's four of a kind, which means the cards have the same value. Like four aces. A full house is three of a kind and a pair, a flush is all the same suit, and a straight is a basic sequence. From there it goes to three of a kind, then two pair, then a pair, and finally whatever your highest card is. You got all that?"

"...Yes?"

"Moving on then. In a basic poker game, the person to the left starts. They can either bet or check."

"Bet?"

"Most people start with No-Limit Hold'em, so you could bet any amount you wanted."

"Right. And check?"

"Basically doing nothing. From there, the rest of the players can decide to call, fold, or raise. Calling is matching the first amount, folding is giving up their hand and all the chips they've put in, and raising is putting more chips in."

"Ok. And how long does this go for?"

"Till either everyone's called or all the chips are in. Once the round's done, the dealer puts three cards face-up on the table that anyone can use. It's called the flop. Then there's another betting round before the dealer puts up another card. That's the turn. And after the third round, the fifth card is the river. After that one's put up, everyone gets one more chance to bet or raise or whatever. If more than one player is left after the final betting hand, they expose their cards and whoever has the highest hand wins."

Harley frowned. "That's it?"

"Huh? Whaddaya mean 'that's it?' That's not _enough_?"

Harley shrugged. "I guess I thought it'd be more complicated."

Kaedro scoffed. "Well, it's not like there's just _one_ type of poker, Ace. The most popular one is Texas Hold'em, which can be limited or unlimited."

"What does 'Texas' mean?"

Kaedro shrugged. "I dunno. That's just what it's called. Then there's Omaha, 7-card stud, Short Deck Hold'em, Courchevel, 2-7 Triple Draw… _Strip_ Poker."

Harley narrowed his eyes. "What's Strip Poker?"

Kaedro's optics glinted. "I think you know… It's _exactly_ what it sounds like." Harley's face turned pink and Kaedro chuckled, glad to see his friend was shaking off some of his earlier gloom.

"Have _you_ ever played Strip Poker?" asked Harley.

Kaedro gasped. " _Ace_! You can't just open the book of my life and jump in the _middle_. That takes all the fun out of it!"

Harley gave a small laugh. "Right. Sorry for asking."

"Yeah. Anyway, you feel up to putting that newfound poker knowledge to the test?"

"I- what?"

"It'll be fun! C'mon, I'll gather the rest." Kaedro drained his glass before standing up and grabbing Harley's wrist.

"Kay, wait!" the other Hunter protested as he was pulled out of the booth, "Do you think it's really a good idea for me to be doing this? I _just_ learned everything."

"It'll be _fine._ "

Kaedro dragged Harley over to the table the poker game had been at. Shay eyed him. "What brings you back here?"

"Guess I decided to give you a chance to win your Glimmer back." He shrugged. "I'm generous like that."

"Huh. Who's this?" She nodded at Harley.

Kaedro slapped him on the back. "This is Ace. He's new to the game."

"Interesting… Well, I'm Shay. That's Eric, Delante, and Jia-6." She pointed in turn to two humans and a female Exo.

Harley nodded, giving a small wave. "Hey."

"So whatcha say?" asked Kaedro, "Rematch?"

The others exchanged glances. "Why not?" said Delante, "Not like there's much else going on."

Eric and Jia added their agreements. Kaedro clapped his hands together. "Great!" He sat down, pulling Harley into a seat next to him. "So who's dealing?"

They were halfway through their second game and Kaedro was starting to worry. Harley had proven to be surprisingly decent at poker, considering it was his first time playing. The familiar newbie confusion and mistakes had been present during their first game, but Harley seemed to know his way about now.

Kaedro could only account for one of the aces and despite the presence of three other people, he had a sneaking suspicion that Harley had the rest. He chuckled to himself. _Ace's aces._ But as the last community card was placed down, Kaedro found his salvation. "Nice try, Ace, but you're not gonna top a royal flush!" He laid down his cards and leaned back.

"Damn!" said Eric, "And you were giving him a run for his money too, kid."

"I was?" Harley sounded confused. "I felt miles behind the whole time."

"Huh. Guess you're better at poker than either of us thought," said Kaedro. He finished his fourth old fashioned and collected his winnings. "Thanks for the game guys. And the Glimmer. I'll put it toward a good cause."

"You mean you'll go buy another drink," said Jia with a laugh.

Kaedro shrugged and stood up. "Probably. Later guys."

Harley sighed as he sat back down in the booth. Playing poker with Kaedro and his friends was nice, although if he was being honest it had been a bit draining as well. He had been out of his depth, not just with learning a new game but also in his interactions with Kaedro's friends. It was always daunting, being thrown into a new group. And all of them had known Kaedro much longer than he had. He'd almost felt like an intruder sitting there, like that moment wasn't meant for him. It was hard not to feel that way in the face of well-established friendships. He stared into the amber liquid of his drink and wondered if other people felt like that in the face of the Chasers. Most likely. Guardian fireteams tended to have strong bonds. He'd experienced that firsthand with Fireteam Calypso.

As he mused to himself, a pair of footsteps approached, scraping hesitantly against the hardwood floor. Harley sighed, turning. "Look, Kay, I don't want-" His voice faltered when he saw that it was Tristan and not Kaedro standing there. "Oh sorry. I… thought you were Kaedro." He smiled to convey a 'what can you do' message, but it probably came across as awkward.

Tristan's smile mirrored his. "Is it- do you mind if I sit here?"

Harley was quick to shake his head. "No, not at all. I don't own this booth or anything." He inwardly cringed. Since when had talking to another person become this difficult?

Tristan, for his part, nodded and took a seat across from him. Harley racked his brain for something else to say to salvage the conversation but couldn't think of anything. The silence stretched on and the atmosphere grew increasingly uncomfortable. Harley wanted to apologize for it, but he thought acknowledging it would make it even more awkward.

Finally, he thought of something. "So, what're the others up to?"

Tristan seemed relieved at the break in silence. "Oh, you know...the usual things people do in bars…"

"Actually I, well, I _don't_ know. This is only my second time out since I was revived. I always thought people came to bars just to drink."

"Well, that's a big part of it, yes. I really don't drink much myself."

Harley nodded. "Yeah. Just the basics for me. I'll leave the fancy orders to people who know what they're doing… What other activities are there in bars?"

"There's food I guess. Being around other people. For example, Liv likes to get into debates with other groups."

"Debates? About what?"

Tristan shrugged. "Anything from where the Traveler came from to whether pineapple should be on pizza."

"Hmm. Well, I can't speak on the Traveler, but I'll eat pineapple on pretty much anything. It's good." Tristan made a face. "What, you don't like pineapple?"

"Not… especially, no." Harley shrugged. People were entitled to like what they liked. "Since you… _do_ like pineapple, there's a drink you might want to try. It's kind of like a pineapple coconut smoothie with alcohol. It's called a pina colada."

Harley frowned. "'Pina colada'... What does that mean?"

Tristan shrugged. "It's from one of the Old Earth languages. Liv gets it a lot."

"Huh. Maybe I'll try it out sometime."

Tristan nodded. "Oh, do you have any idea when we'll be leaving?"

Harley shook his head. "I'd ask Kaedro." He sighed. "Truth be told, I'm ready to head out _now_ but I don't think the others are."

"Yeah. It's just… don't you think we should be focusing on Oryx right now?"

The mention of Oryx made Harley's skin crawl, but he pushed it aside to frown at Tristan. "What do you mean? I thought Kaedro and the others took him down way before I woke up."

It was Tristan's turn to frown. "No, they- Well, I guess yes, they did but look- they didn't… they didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

Tristan seemed to be getting more and more flustered by the second. "They, um, they went to the Dreadnaught and fought Oryx- or, yeah, they _killed_ him. He's dead but he's not… completely dead? I don't- He's still alive in his- in the Ascendant Realm, I mean."

A feeling of cold dread settled on Harley. "He's not dead?"

"Yes? No? Sorry, I'm not completely sure how it works."

"If he's still alive in his Throneworld, he's still a threat. We have to take him out." Harley rose from his chair and turned to find Kaedro.

Tristan jumped up as well. "Are you sure about this?"

Harley ignored him as he spotted Kaedro sitting at the bar, chatting amiably with the bartender. He strode over, Tristan trailing behind him. "Kaedro."

His friend turned. "What's up, Ace? More poker?"

Harley shook his head. "No. We have to leave."

Kaedro seemed confused. "What? But I've just hit the sweet spot. Perfectly balanced between 'good times' and 'future hangover.' What's gotcha in such a rush anyway?"

Harley took a breath. "Oryx isn't dead. And if we don't do something about it, this war against the Taken won't be ending anytime soon."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, I almost forgot to upload this chapter. Fortunately, I caught myself. To any Firefly fans out there, I hope you liked the little nod I threw in with Kaedro's line about strip poker. We're coming up on the end of this story soon. The next one is in its alpha stage and the one after that still needs a decent amount of work. I'll keep you guys posted on my progress :)  
> \- TheWolfParadox


	20. Words Best Left Unspoken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The storm, previously on the horizon, has arrived, plunging the system into chaos. The City is in more danger than ever as new enemies arise in the Plaguelands and old ones return from the Deep. Technology running rampant. A father with a score to settle. There is only one solution: divide and conquer. But sometimes even the Sky can fall to the Deep.

**"A species which believes that a good existence can be invented through games of civilization and through laws of conduct is doomed by that belief. They will die in terror. The lawless and the ruthless will drag them down to die. The universe will erase their monuments." - XLVII: Apocalypse Refrains**

* * *

Kaedro was surprised to find Harley standing behind him. Truthfully, he hadn't expected the other Hunter would leave the booth again. The expression on his friend's face gave him slight pause, but he ultimately overlooked it as Harley had been down ever since they first entered the bar.

Harley turned down the offer of another poker game, insisting they had to leave. Kaedro wasn't sure why he suddenly felt like leaving, but he was acting more amped up than usual.

"What's gotcha in such a rush anyway?" he asked.

"Oryx isn't dead," said Harley urgently, "And if we don't do something about it, this war against the Taken won't be ending anytime soon."

Kaedro had never before sobered up that fast in his life. _How the hell did he find out about Oryx?_

Harley's eyes narrowed as he studied Kaedro's face. "Judging from your expression, you either forgot about Hive Throneworlds or you _knew_ he wasn't dead for good."

 _Shit._ This was not good. "How do _you_ know what my expression is?" Kaedro challenged, "I'm an Exo. For all you know, I could be deeply depressed right now."

Harley sighed. "Your face _does_ move, Kaedro. It's not hard to learn to read someone when you're around them enough. And that brings up the question: why didn't you tell me that he isn't dead?"

"I was- we were waiting for the right time."

"You can't be serious!" Harley's voice had risen quite drastically, drawing looks from the other patrons. "The only 'right time' is as soon as goddamn possible! This- this _guy_ is the _worst_ news there is!"

Kaedro rose to his feet. "Well I'm _sorry_!" he shouted back, matching Harley's volume. "I'm sorry for trying to _protect_ you!"

"Protect _me_?!"

"You'd better believe it! If you knew Oryx was still alive, you'd've gone after him the first chance you got _regardless_ of whether you were healed or not!"

"Well newsflash, Kaedro! I don't need you to protect me! By keeping this from me, you put the solar system, the _Traveler_ itself at risk! Or- _his_ armies can conquer entire planets in a matter of _hours_ and he can _single-handedly_ bend the will of _anything_ under the sun to his own devices!"

"Speaking from _personal experience,_ Ace?" bit Kaedro.

Harley flinched, his face slackening in shock before closing off altogether.

 _O_ _h shit._ Kaedro's horror at what he'd just said was rapidly being overcome by crushing guilt. _Shit shit shit!_

Harley turned to leave.

"Ace, wait…"

His friend's face was stone. "Save it... Just…" he sighed tiredly, "Just make sure the others are ready to leave." With that, he walked out of the bar.

Kaedro sighed and turned back to Tristan, who'd been watching the whole event with wide eyes. "Could you get everyone else together?" Tristan nodded and hurried off.

With another sigh, Kaedro went to finish off his drink, only to discover that Kira had topped it off. "Thanks."

She shrugged. "Figured you could use it. That argument with your friend was pretty heavy."

Kaedro cringed. "Yeah. Look, we talked about a few things that really shouldn't have left the Tower…"

She nodded. "Don't worry. I'll give 'em all a free round. They'll forget soon enough."

"Thanks, Kira."

"No problem... Guess you'll just have to owe me one." Kaedro nodded absently as he sipped his drink. Kira sighed. "Listen… Nothin' you two said made a lick of sense to me, but it sounded pretty serious... Just promise me you'll work things out."

Kaedro nodded. "I will." He winced again. "I said some pretty messed up shit to him."

"I'm sure he'll come 'round. You just gotta make sure he knows you didn't mean what you said."

Someone coughed behind him. He turned and saw the rest of his friends standing there, clearly wanting to know what was going on. "That's my cue." He finished his drink and stood up. "Thanks again for everything, Kira. I'll see you around."

She smiled. "See ya, Kay."

Kaedro led his friends to the exit. Upon leaving the bar, he saw Harley standing off to one side, clearly waiting for them. Once he saw them, the Hunter turned and began walking in the direction of the Tower at some distance from the rest of the group. Kaedro sighed, feeling terrible about the whole thing.

Jade sidled up next to him. "What's wrong with Harley?" she asked, sounding concerned.

Kaedro sighed. "We… had a fight."

Jade frowned. "About what?"

"Yesterday, he came to see me after he got out of the med bay. He asked me about a mission that Cayde apparently mentioned but I lied to him and told him there was no mission. I went to see the Vanguard afterward and I guess they'd apparently grounded him for the week."

Jade nodded. "I heard about that from Ikora. She thinks he needs more time to recover. I… usually tend to agree with her, but I'm not sure what she meant. He's _fine_."

"Yeah, well, tonight he found out that we didn't kill Oryx and he was pretty upset."

"Understandable."

"Yeah. And my reaction wasn't- I got worked up and started yelling back at him."

"That doesn't sound so bad," said Jade, "I mean, it's not the best situation, but it could have been worse."

"Oh I _definitely_ made it worse," said Kaedro bitterly.

"What did you do?"

"I… brought up what happened to him after Phobos…"

Jade's eyes widened. "You _didn't._ "

Kaedro nodded. "He said something about Oryx bending the wills of other lifeforms and I asked him if he was 'speaking from personal experience'"

" _Kaedro_!"

"I know! I crossed the line!"

"That's _one_ way to put it…"

"I feel horrible about it... I should go apologize."

"Definitely. But… you might want to wait a few minutes. Give him a chance to calm down first."

Kaedro shook his head. "I'm such an idiot, Jade... And you should've seen him. He was so angry, but not like hot angry, y'know? Like, _cold_ angry... And that's the scariest one."

Jade's lips twitched. "I think those drinks are messing with your circuits."

Kaedro scoffed. "If my circuits are messed up, it's not alcohol that did it... I'm just a terrible person."

"That's not true. Look… I'll drop back with the others so you can think. Maybe by the time we reach the Tower, you could try apologizing."

Kaedro nodded. "Sounds like a good idea. Thanks, Jade."

The Warlock nodded and slowed her pace to fall into step with Fireteam Calypso. Kaedro sighed as he thought back over his argument with Harley. His friend had seemed agitated even before the fight had started. Not to mention the fact that he wasn't usually one to take things so personally. Kaedro sighed again. _Guess everyone has their touchy topics._ Then he frowned to himself. _Hold on a second…_ He was right. Everyone _did_ have at least one subject they didn't want to talk about and at some point between Phobos and now, the Taken had made Harley's list. This was completely understandable, considering what had happened to him. But Kaedro suspected it went past him merely not wanting to talk about it. He'd noticed that Harley had taken a breath before saying Oryx's name, as though he were steadying himself. And after that first time, he'd avoided saying it again for the rest of the ensuing argument. Something was definitely bothering his friend.

His Ghost flashed in beside him. "What are you going to say?"

Kaedro started in surprise, his thoughts forgotten. "Huh?"

"To apologize to Ace. What will you say?"

He shrugged. "I wasn't exactly planning on preparing it beforehand…"

Jyn gave her best shrug. "It's up to you," she said, "But I'm warning you now, I will _not_ tell you what to say in your ear."

"I know. The apology wouldn't be worth much if you did."

She gave a small dip. "I taught you well."

Kaedro rolled his optics at her. "Yeah, whatever... You can get lost now."

Jyn sighed. "My praise came too soon," she mourned as she disappeared.

Kaedro took a deep breath. "Right. Here goes nothing…" He increased his pace to walk next to Harley, who regarded him neutrally.

"Kaedro."

"Ace. Listen, man… What I said to you was awful and I didn't mean it. I'm not stupid enough to say it was the alcohol talking 'cause we both know that's bullshit, but it was the heat of the moment and I didn't think about what I was saying. I'm really sorry, man."

Harley sounded tired. "It's fine, Kaedro. I overreacted."

Kaedro frowned. "It's not fine. _I_ was the one who was out-of-line there. I was being deliberately mean."

"Kaedro. _It's. Fine._ It was my fault anyway. I pushed you into saying that. I shouldn't've started yelling."

Kaedro wasn't sure he liked how Harley was reacting to the whole thing, but he decided not to comment. He wasn't keen on potentially starting up another argument between them, so instead they walked the rest of the way back to the Tower in silence.

* * *

The next morning, Kaedro walked into the mess hall and found Harley sitting at one of the back tables with a tall cup of coffee in front of him. Kaedro got his own coffee before moving to sit across from the other Hunter.

Harley nodded at him with a yawn. "Morning, Kay."

Kaedro nodded back. "Good morning." He frowned at how exhausted Harley seemed and squinted at him. His friend had dark circles under his eyes and Kaedro was pretty sure he was yawning more than usual. "You sleep ok, Ace?"

Harley waved him off. "It's fine. I was just up a bit late is all."

Kaedro was more than a bit skeptical about that answer. "Uh-huh…"

"Seriously. It's fine. I've had worse."

Kaedro sighed, deciding to drop it. "Whatever you say, man… So what's up?"

"We need to figure out how to get into a Hive God's Throneworld."

Kaedro nodded thoughtfully as he sipped his coffee. "Well, I mean it can't be too hard, can it? We've done it once already."

"True… But I think we can expect this to be different. Where do you think Crota learned it from?"

Kaedro nodded. "Yeah. Ikora said something similar."

"When you fought him before… was it hard?"

"No, actually. The whole time I was thinking it was easier than it should've been."

Harley nodded like that didn't surprise him. "Makes sense… It was all part of his plan."

Kaedro nodded. Again, they had been leaning toward that conclusion before. "Right at the end he drew this weird power from his sword. Like a… ball of Darkness or something."

The other Hunter's movements stilled. "...What did he…do with it?"

"He Took himself... Or something like that. He obviously wants to end things on his terms which means-"

"In his Throneworld, I know."

Just then, someone called out to them. "What's good, Kaedro!"

Kaedro turned and saw Liv entering the mess hall, followed by Tristan, Jade, and Kai. The group crossed the room and sat down. "Good morning," said Jade.

"Morning Jade," said Kaedro.

"Morning," said Harley, "We were just about to talk strategy for the Throneworld."

"Good thing we showed up in time," said Kai, "What do we have so far?"

"We actually have more information about Oryx's Throneworld than most people think," said Jade, "The problem is, not much of it is useful for our purposes. We know how he made it and that others have tried to breach it before, but we don't know what defenses he has in place."

"We have to assume the entrance is pretty far in," said Kai.

"Do we? Oryx's entire ship is his Throneworld turned inside out. It's enormous. He could be anywhere in the Ascendant Realm. The Dreadnaught is his first line of defense."

"Ok…" said Harley, "Let's take this layer by layer. We get inside the Dreadnaught, which we already have. What's the next defense?"

"The Hive," said Kaedro, "The place is filled with Hive."

Harley nodded. "And after the Hive?"

"He's bound to have traps and locks and stuff like that," said Liv, "But that doesn't help us much."

Jade frowned. "The Hive have a hierarchy. Like the Fallen. Thrall to Acolytes to Knights and Wizards and so on."

"Ok. So wherever the strongest Hive are is where the entrance is," said Kai, "You read, Wrythal. What are the strongest Hive on the Dreadnaught aside from Oryx himself?"

"I know he has two daughters but I'm pretty sure we would have noticed _them_ … Oh! He has a Court. Powerful Hive to challenge and learn from him."

"Where is the Court?" asked Kaedro.

"It's not very far in. We passed the site while we were disabling the Dreadnaught's weapon. There was a huge portal. Remember?"

"There're a lot of big portals on that ship. But it doesn't matter. As long as we can get to it."

"So we get to the portal," said Harley, "Then what? We go through?"

"That's my guess," said Jade.

Kai nodded. "Sounds straightforward."

"It won't be," said Harley, "And even if it is, the rest sure won't be. Expect challenges, puzzles, and tons of stuff that'll kill you. The Ascendant Realm operates under a different set of rules."

Kaedro nodded. "Too true. Remember those sword bridges in Crota's Throneworld?"

"And his Oversoul," added Jade.

Harley nodded. "Yeah. Who knows what we'll be walking into, but whatever it is, it won't be easy."

"Wonderful," said Kai, "And when are we leaving on this 'expedition?'"

"Tomorrow. We can't afford to wait any longer than we already have. He's going down." With that, Harley stood up. "I'm off to get my weapons together… See you guys later."

Kaedro sighed as he watched his friend leave. He could do with a few less high stakes missions. But those were the only ones he seemed to be going on nowadays. Liv and Tristan rose as well.

"We've got a patrol in a half an hour," said Liv.

Kai nodded. "You two go on ahead. I'm going to hang back for a second."

"Alright."

As her two teammates left, Kai turned back to face Jade and Kaedro. She shook her head. "Man. That kid, Hayden… We've only just properly met him and he's already bossing us all around. I can't tell whether I like or hate the guy."

"Harley's not that bad," said Jade defensively.

Kai raised her hands. "I wasn't having a go at him. Liv is _way_ worse… We'll see how things go tomorrow. Speaking of which, come here a second, Jade." Jade leaned over and Kaedro watched as the Titan whispered something to her. Then the Warlock nodded and Kai leaned back, looking satisfied. "Alright," she said, standing up, "I'm going to catch up with the other two. Take it easy."

Jade and Kaedro waved as she walked off. Once she was gone, Kaedro shot Jade a look. "What was that about? She called you by your first name. What'd she say?"

"Oh, nothing. Just some girl talk. It's not important."

"If you say so…"

Jade nodded and rose to her feet. "I think I'm going to head to the Library. Maybe there's some information on Oryx or the Dreadnaught that I overlooked the first time."

"Sure. Later, Jade."

"See you later."

Kaedro watched the Warlock leave. He knew her well enough to know that her answer to his question had rung false. Neither Kai nor Jade were ones for 'girl talk' and Kai's use of Jade's first name was completely out of character. Either Jade was lying about the topic of the Titan's whispering, or she was lying about its importance. In any case, both Guardians knew something that, for whatever reason, they didn't want shared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man. Guys, we're only a few chapters from the end of this story! Then we'll be catching up to the D2 timeline and boy do I have some good stuff in store... In the meantime, I'd like to give a shoutout to my friend smolTITAN118, who has her own set of oneshots up on Fanfiction.net. I highly recommend checking them out because they are toit!
> 
> For other things like art, updates, and shitposting, y'all can follow me on Twitter, Tumblr, and now Instagram under the tag ArcaneGlitch. Instagram is primarily for art, and I do take commissions if anyone's interested.
> 
> For writing requests, you can PM me on this site or any of the sites listed above. I also have a Discord server geared toward content creation. To join, simply copypaste this invite code: tYmqd2k
> 
> Keep your eyes up, Guardians!
> 
> \- TheWolfParadox


	21. Rising Tide

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The storm, previously on the horizon, has arrived, plunging the system into chaos. The City is in more danger than ever as new enemies arise in the Plaguelands and old ones return from the Deep. Technology running rampant. A father with a score to settle. There is only one solution: divide and conquer. But sometimes even the Sky can fall to the Deep.

**"But the one that sets out to understand the one true law and to perform worship of that law will by that decision gain control over their future. They will gain hope of ascendance and by their** **ruthlessness they will assist the universe in arriving at its perfect shape." - XLVII: Apocalypse Refrains**

* * *

As soon as Jade left the dining hall, she headed in the direction of the Hall of Guardians. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't shake Kai's words. She really _had_ wanted to share with Kaedro, but she knew that Kai didn't tell him for a reason. Though only she would know what that reason was.

As Jade entered the Hub, the Vanguard turned to look at her. "Wrythal," said Zavala by way of greeting, "Is there something we can do for you?"

"I was just wondering… Ikora, could I talk to you?"

The Warlock Vanguard nodded. "Of course." She left her place at the table.

"Do you mind if we go outside?"

"Not at all. Lead the way." Once they emerged onto the plaza, Jade stopped and considered how to proceed. "What is bothering you?" asked Ikora.

Jade took a deep breath. There was no turning back now. "Do you remember when Harley came to see you two days ago?"

Ikora nodded, though her expression was slightly guarded. "Yes. He was asking about his next mission."

Jade nodded. That much she already knew. "What did you say to him?"

"I told him it was unwise for him to take on a mission so soon after being released and that he could jeopardize his recovery."

Jade frowned. "I'm sorry, but I'm confused. There was nothing wrong with him when he got out. If there had been, the med team wouldn't have released him."

"I know," said Ikora, "However, the only mission he would have wanted would be to go to Oryx's Throneworld and defeat him permanently. The same mission that Cayde would have told Harley about if I hadn't stopped him."

"But what difference does it make what the mission is? He wouldn't have gone in alone. We'd all be there."

Ikora sighed. "Zavala and Cayde were also confused as to my reasoning. I told them that I had a theory but I refrained from sharing it with them lest it lead to a situation akin to the Osiris one." The Vanguard studied Jade with a piercing expression. "I know you have a reason for asking about this. Although I don't know what your reason is, I can only guess that you know or suspect what prompted me to keep Harley out of the field."

"It wasn't me. Not really. My friend suggested I should talk to you about Harley."

Ikora nodded. "I see… Well, you should know that I did have a reason for my actions." She sighed. "I'm sorry, but I don't believe I should share it with anyone. At least not yet. I'd rather be sure first."

Jade couldn't deny feeling disappointed, but she nodded. "Ok. I trust your judgment, Ikora. But when you find out, I'd like to be the first to know. I want to help Harley."

"Don't worry, Jade. If I find out for sure, you _will_ be the first to know. All you need to know now is that Harley has been declared fit for duty. He is as physically stable as he was before Phobos."

"Thank you." Jade suspected she might have an idea what Ikora's reasons were, but as the other Warlock had said, she didn't want to bring it up to anyone in case she was wrong. Still, she was glad Kai had put her onto it.

Ikora studied her face. "I hope you understand the delicacy of the situation…and why I kept this from my fireteam." Jade nodded. "And," Ikora fixed her with a look, "I hope you understand that this kind of thing is not something you talk about freely."

"Of course not!"

"Good… If I didn't think I could trust you with this, I wouldn't have shared it. And… I do hope you won't bring this up to Harley. I simply made what I thought would be the best decision for him at the time and it would be foolish to cause problems over it."

"Could you keeping him out of the field really make that big of an impact?"

"Greater strife has happened over lesser reasons. The Osiris situation is an accurate example... I'd be remiss if I didn't learn from it. After all, the truest wisdom comes from experience."

Jade nodded. "I'll keep that in mind."

Ikora smiled. "Good."

"And I know you wanted Harley to stay out of the field for a while longer but you should know that we're planning to go to the Dreadnaught tomorrow."

The Warlock Vanguard sighed. "I suppose it was inevitable. Harley has the tendency to do what he thinks is best, regardless of what others may say."

"I know… Are you going to stop us?"

"Not when I know that attempting to stop you would be useless. Oryx is one of the darkest shadows our system has ever faced... I wish you luck."

With one last smile, Ikora turned and went back into the Hall of Guardians, leaving Jade standing in the bright morning sunlight, pondering the conversation that had just taken place. She'd have to make sure not to think too much into Ikora's reasons for keeping Harley at the Tower. After all, the Vanguard herself wasn't certain of her reasons yet.

Fortunately, the upcoming journey to Oryx's Throneworld wouldn't give her much time to overthink it. She ultimately decided to go back to the Library to see if there was anything she'd missed like she'd told Kaedro earlier. Though she highly doubted there was something she hadn't seen, it was better to be safe than sorry.

* * *

Kaedro really didn't have anything to do to prep for the upcoming mission. Weapons and spare armor were all stored away by his Ghost, along with any specialized gear that might come in handy. Seeing as that was the case, he decided to research just how much about Guardians, specifically, the Chasers was public record. He made his way to the nearest terminal and used the login Cayde had given him a while back.

REMOTE VANGUARD DATABASE TEXT-ONLY SEARCH INITIALIZED.

WELCOME, USER "LAMERTHANCAYDE6".

Kaedro sighed.

PLEASE ENTER SEARCH QUERY.

?the chasers

THERE ARE 106,851 ARTICLES ABOUT "THE CHASERS".

?most recent article

THE MOST RECENT ARTICLE ABOUT "THE CHASERS" WAS PUBLISHED 2 HOURS, 47 MINUTES AGO BY USER "CHROMEMERCHANT77" ENTITLED "10 SUREFIRE WAYS TO MEET THE CHASERS". RELATED: "QUIZ: WHICH MEMBER OF THE CHASERS ARE YOU?"

Kaedro sighed again.

?information about the Chasers

"THE CHASERS" ARE A TEAM OF 7 GUARDIANS WORKING TOGETHER TO STOP THE SPREAD OF THE DARKNESS. KNOWN MEMBERS INCLUDE: HARLEY "ACE" HAYDEN, RAEDRYON "RAE" KORRIN, BAZZLE TORELLI, KAEDRO-22, FYR ALLERTON, ROGUE-12, JAEDRYTH "JADE" WRYTHAL. FOUNDED: 3 MONTHS 6 DAYS AGO. KNOWN DEEDS: DEFEATING THE HIVE GOD CROTA, DEFEATING ATHEON ON VENUS. RELATED: ALLERTON, F., HAYDEN, H., KAEDRO-22, KORRIN, R., ROGUE-12, TORELLI, B., WRYTHAL, J., THE HIVE, CROTA, VAULT OF GLASS, TIME'S CONFLUX

While Kaedro wasn't exactly surprised at how much information had been made public, he'd hoped it would be less. He typed a new entry:

?information about Harley Hayden

"HARLEY HAYDEN" IS A GUARDIAN OF THE LAST CITY MORE COMMONLY KNOWN AS "ACE" AND FOUNDER OF THE GROUP: "THE CHASERS". KNOWN AFFILIATIONS: "CROTA'S END", "THE SAVIOR", "GUARDIAN OF GUARDIANS". REVIVAL DATE: 6/6/2716. REVIVAL LOCATION: MERCURY. RELATED ARTICLES: 47,632

"Yikes." If Kaedro knew one thing, it was that Harley wouldn't be happy that so much about him was public record. And nicknames like "Crota's End" made him uncomfortable.

logout

THANK YOU FOR USING THE VANGUARD TEXT-ONLY DATABASE, USER "LAMERTHANCAYDE6". BE BRAVE.

Kaedro sighed. "What should I do now?"

"That's up to you," said Jyn, "Is there anything you want to get ready for tomorrow?"

"No. Everything I need is all ready to go… Hold on. That database gave me Ace's revival date... Isn't it coming up pretty soon?"

"Yes. In a few days. Why?"

"Why do you think? We've gotta celebrate! Light knows we deserve some R&R. Especially Ace… I think I'll get together a surprise party for him."

"Good idea," said Jyn, "And hopefully the others will be back by then."

"Yeah! Oh… oh shit. I never told them that Ace recovered." He smacked himself in the forehead. "I'm an idiot! ...We'd better get to the Library."

He started walking and it only took a few minutes before he was seated at one of the Library's terminals.

Rae picked up after several rings. " _Kay. Long time, no see."_

Kaedro cringed. "I know. Sorry 'bout that. Things have been a bit crazy around here."

Rae shot him an unimpressed look. " _No shit. Think it's been a cakewalk over here? We got dead things walking and SIVA popping up everywhere. On top of that, we've all been worrying our asses off about Ace."_ She shook her head. " _That moron just can't get far without ending up in some crisis or other."_

"Yeah, well, that's the good news. They found a way to fix him. He's been up and about for a while now."

" _What?! How long?"_

Kaedro shrugged. "About a week now? He was in a coma for a month before that."

" _Idiot. This is the kind of thing you should've told me about."_

"I know... It just slipped my mind."

" _Whatever… Did you say good news? What's the bad news?"_

"We're going to fight Oryx tomorrow. In his Throneworld. Me, Ace, Jade, and Fireteam Calypso." He sighed. "There's six of us, but I was hoping...well, the more the merrier."

It was Rae's turn to sigh. " _Sorry, Kay,"_ she said, " _We've got problems of our own. The Devil Splicers are preparing for war and our only chance is hitting their den and destroying their leadership."_

"Shit. Sounds like a lot. There's only four of you. You guys sure you can manage?"

" _Shiro and Saladin are coming with. We'll be fine. Probably better off than you guys on that Dreadnaught."_

"Thanks so much," said Kaedro sarcastically, "I'll contact you after tomorrow...assuming we don't all die."

Rae snorted. " _Don't bother. If we all make it out of this...we'll be on our way back."_

Kaedro snapped his fingers. "Right! Almost forgot. Ace's revival date's coming up on the 6th. I figured we could throw him a party."

Rae nodded thoughtfully. " _Not usually one for parties...but I suppose I'll make an exception."_

"How generous of you… Good luck tomorrow."

" _You too. See ya on the other side, Kaedro."_

"Later, Rae." The call ended and Kaedro leaned back in his seat "Sounds like there's a lot going down tomorrow."

"I'll say," said Jyn, "Are you planning to eat with Jade and Ace tonight?"

Kaedro shrugged. "I hadn't thought about it, but that sounds like a good idea. Let's do that."

"Alright. I'll let their Ghosts know. At any rate, it looks like we have a lot of time to kill until then."

"Eh, I'll think of something…"

As it turned out, Kaedro ended up playing cards with Cayde for most of the day. While Zavala wasn't exactly thrilled with the development, he couldn't exactly stop them as Cayde would just ignore his orders, so he settled for shooting disapproving looks their way whenever either of them happened to look up. Their game options were rather limited, so they mostly stuck to Speed and Crazy Eights.

Liv wandered in at around three with the report from the patrol she'd been doing. Cayde just set the report aside and asked her if she wanted to play, causing them to switch games. Kaedro had brought up the idea of playing War, but Liv shut him down, saying that normal War was "too boring." Then she suggested Egyptian War, an idea that Kaedro was all too happy to agree to. They'd spent a few minutes teaching the game to Cayde and soon after, the Hub was filled with the sounds of cursing and hands slamming into the table.

Liv scooped up a hefty stack of cards with a smug grin while Cayde and Kaedro glared daggers. "Easy game, easy life."

The game progressed, getting increasingly louder and more aggressive. Zavala had long since given up, sighing about how "it would be nice to have help coordinating war efforts."

Ikora, for her part, seemed rather entertained by the game and watched from the sidelines, chuckling as Cayde lost his entire stack to Kaedro in one fell swoop. As Kaedro and Liv began to face off, the Hunter Vanguard waited, determined to rejoin the fray.

After a minute or so of back-and-forth, Kaedro smacked Cayde's hand away. "Stop hovering."

The other Hunter shrugged. "Just playin' the game how it's supposed to be played." _Smack!_

"Cayde you can't keep slapping every single card!" said Kaedro.

"Why not? Got nothin' to lose. Can't burn a card if you don't have a card to burn."

"That's not the point! Argh! Dammit!" He watched as Liv won over one of his Jacks.

She smirked at him. "Easy game, easy life."

"I hate you so much right now."

A few rounds later, Cayde gave a triumphant shout as he managed to slap back in. "That's right! I'm back, baby!"

"It's fine," said Liv dismissively, "Those were just confetti cards."

Sure enough, Cayde was out again not one minute later. He sighed. "I'll just let you two play this out."

Kaedro and Liv slammed down cards at a ferocious pace until finally, it was Kaedro who came away with the win. He let out a satisfied sigh. "Ahh. Feels good to be the king."

"Yeah?" said Liv, "Rematch. Let's go."

"Sure." He started shuffling the deck but caught sight of his wrist interface. "Aw crap. I gotta bounce. I'm supposed to be eating with Ace and Jade."

Liv shrugged. "Fine. Cayde. Speed. You and me. Right now."

Cayde shrugged. "Sure. Long as you got a deck we can use. That one belongs to Kay."

"Shit. Lemme go find one."

Kaedro put his deck back in its box. "Alright. Thanks for the games, Cayde."

Cayde shook his head. "Thank _you._ Don't got a lot to keep the boredom away."

Kaedro nodded. "Later."

"See ya."

He made his way out onto the plaza and walked toward the mess hall. Jade and Harley were already there when he entered, seated at the all too familiar back corner table. Kaedro picked up some food and joined them. "Hey, guys."

"Hello," said Jade.

"Hey, Kay," said Harley.

"You guys ready for tomorrow?"

"As I'll ever be."

Jade shrugged. "I suppose… I went back to the Library but I couldn't find anything I didn't already know. It looks like we'll be going in blind."

Kaedro shrugged. "Nothing wrong with that."

"...Agree to disagree… In any case, at least we'll have Liv, Kai, and Tristan with us."

"Got _that_ right. Speaking of backup and stuff, I talked to Rae earlier. I sorta forgot to call her after we brought Ace back to the Tower so I was filling her in on everything."

"How are they?" asked Harley.

"They're doing good. Hooked up with Lord Saladin at Felwinter and they've been working to stop this stuff called SIVA. Apparently, the Fallen are using it to give themselves new abilities and bring back their dead."

"Sounds pretty heavy."

Kaedro nodded. "Yeah. They've _also_ got a crazy mission tomorrow. Something about eliminating the Fallen's leadership. Apparently, Saladin and one of Cayde's scouts will be backing them up."

"Cayde has a scout at Felwinter Peak?"

"Yeah. His name's Shiro-4. Nice guy. I've hung out with him quite a bit."

"I suppose this means they won't be back for a while longer," said Jade.

"Hopefully they'll be back the day after tomorrow. Assuming all goes to plan."

"There's a lot that has to go to plan…" muttered Harley.

Kaedro nodded. For a few minutes, the three Guardians ate in silence, each absorbed in his or her own thoughts. Kaedro couldn't hope to know what his friends were thinking about, but he'd noticed that Jade had been acting pretty odd towards Harley. All the sideways glances and concerned expressions were kinda starting to weird him out. He could only hope that Harley hadn't noticed because it was freaking _him_ out and they weren't even directed at him.

After they finished eating, there was several minutes' more talking before they decided to call it a night. As they walked to their quarters, Kaedro marveled at how nice his day had been. It had been a while since he'd been able to relax, but as peaceful as it was, he couldn't shake the feeling that this was merely the calm before the storm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're in the endgame now, bois. Only a few more chapters to go. Hope y'all are excited because I sure am.
> 
> Keep your eyes up, Guardians!
> 
> \- TheWolfParadox


	22. The First Trial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The storm, previously on the horizon, has arrived, plunging the system into chaos. The City is in more danger than ever as new enemies arise in the Plaguelands and old ones return from the Deep. Technology running rampant. A father with a score to settle. There is only one solution: divide and conquer. But sometimes even the Sky can fall to the Deep.

**"We stand against the fatal lie that a world built on laws of conduct may ever resist the action of the truly free. This is the slavery of the Traveler, the crime of creation, in which labor is wasted on the construction of false shapes. If you choose to fight us, fight us with everything you have, with all your laws and games. We will prove our argument thus." - XLVII: Apocalypse Refrains**

* * *

Harley's eyes flew open only for him to instantly squeeze them shut against the harsh glow of his room's lights. He blinked a few times, letting his eyes adjust, and stared up at the ceiling. A drop of cold sweat crawled down his neck and he suddenly felt the strong urge to get up. He wanted so desperately to move, to run, to get into his ship and fly somewhere, _anywhere_ to escape the dreams that had plagued him for now three nights in a row.

It seemed he'd been in a kind of grace period during his stay in the med bay, but now the nightmares showed no signs of letting up. He was careful to keep them hidden from Prism. She didn't need to know the reason why he'd begun to stay up later and later each night, putting off sleep with excuses of research or cleaning his weapons. _It's stupid anyway,_ he thought, _It's been more than a month since I was brought back. I should be over it by now._ He knew it was beyond pathetic, being woken up by dreams of an encounter he had long since left behind. _I bet no one else has nightmares like this... Why me?_

The contents of the dream shifted, but it was always the same at its core. It was always on the Dreadnaught. Oryx was always there. Often it was just the two of them, the Hive God and Harley, but sometimes there were others. The Hive. Various champions of the Dark. Sometimes his friends were there and that was the worst. They were almost never left alone. There was always some form of torture: beaten with spiky chains, forced to stand on glowing coals, ripped to shreds at the hands of the Hive. But there was one version that Harley hated above the rest: he was forced to watch as Oryx Took them and the Darkness corrupted their bodies. Once the transformation was complete they would stand there, staring at him with their unblinking, empty eyes as Oryx came for him. And Harley would wake up shivering in his room, unable to sleep until exhaustion wore him down and he went through the whole thing again. It wasn't uncommon for him to have two or three dreams a night. Each time, he would try in vain to change what happened and each time he would fail miserably.

He turned to look at the clock. 3:17. Close enough to a normal hour for him to get up. What else could he do? He sure as hell wasn't going back to sleep. He eased himself out of bed and padded into the bathroom, shutting the door carefully so as not to alert Prism. Then he turned on the shower, purposefully setting it a few degrees higher than usual and disrobed, stepping into the spray. The hot water did wonders for waking him up and he was incredibly reluctant to turn it off. He got out, steam swirling off his skin and dried off, wrapping the towel around his waist.

Making his way back out into the main room, he dressed in his armor as quietly as he could before leaving for the mess hall. While no food was out due to the early hour, the coffee counter was as well-stocked as ever and Harley wasted no time in making himself a cup. He sat down at the usual table and sipped the hot drink as he waited for the rest of the Tower to awaken. He passed the time by scrolling through Cliq on his interface. The social media site had been introduced to him by Fyr. The majority of users simply posted updates from their daily lives, but if you knew where to look, you could find posts made purely for entertainment. It took Harley's mind off the upcoming mission and did wonders for making the time fly by.

A couple hours later, around six, other people began making themselves known as various Tower staff flowed through the mess hall to eat breakfast. The latest group was on their way out just as a small shape zoomed into the room, eye whizzing about frantically. "Harley?!"

"Prism!" called Harley, "Over here."

His Ghost was immediately at his side. "Harley Hayden, you're in so much trouble! I woke up and you were gone! No sign of you anywhere! Do you have _any_ idea how worried I was?"

"Relax Prism... I'm not stupid enough to leave the Tower without you or anything."

"That doesn't make it any better! Light's sake, I just got you back! Could you _please_ try not to give me a panic attack?"

"Sorry, Prism."

"I hope so..."

Just then, Kaedro walked in. "Morning Ace... Prism."

"Morning, Kay."

"Hello Kaedro," said Prism, "Would you be so kind as to give my idiot Guardian a smack for me?"

Kaedro looked between them. "...Uh, sure?" He smacked Harley on the arm. "Idiot."

"Ow!" Harley hissed.

Kaedro laughed and made for the coffee machine. "I didn't hit you _that_ hard, did I?"

Harley rubbed the spot where Kaedro hit him. "Don't know if you noticed, but your hand's made of _metal_."

Kaedro shrugged and sat down with his coffee. "Shouldn't've done whatever you did... By the way, what'd you do?"

"I left the room before Prism was up. She was freaking out."

"Ok, then. Good to know it was a deserved smack."

"Thank you, Kaedro," said Prism.

"Anytime," said Kaedro with a chuckle, "By the way, I messaged the others. They should be here in a few minutes."

Harley nodded. "Good."

Kaedro squinted at him. "You look tired." The "again" went unspoken.

 _Uh oh._ Harley had to tread lightly here. A slip up could alert Kaedro to his sleeping situation - or lack thereof - and then the Exo would likely postpone the mission or even kick him off it. Of course, he himself didn't have the authority but one word to the Vanguard and Harley wouldn't be getting out of the Tower anytime soon. "Late nights," he said, "...You know how it is."

The other Hunter didn't seem to fully accept that answer. "Ace, we all walked back together last night. It wasn't _that_ late."

"I know. Just… couldn't stop thinking about the mission, you know?"

Kaedro nodded. "Right. 'Course... How late were you up, exactly?"

 _Crap._ Harley knew it was time to change the subject. "Oh, um, nothing unmanageable." He mentally crossed his fingers. "Scrolled through Cliq for a bit."

It worked. Kaedro latched onto the new topic. "Fyr showed you?"

Harley nodded. "Yeah. Did he show you too?"

Kaedro shook his head. "You kidding? Know how long I've been around? I showed _him_."

"Ah."

"Yeah. What about Spectre? Did he show you that?"

"No. What is it?"

"It's like a Guardian video site. Your Ghosts record footage and then you can upload it. Some people do missions. Most use it for funny stuff."

"Hmm. I'll have to check it out."

"Ace! Kay! What's up?"

Harley turned and saw the rest of the group walking toward them. "Morning, guys."

"Good morning," greeted Jade.

The other Guardians joined them at the table. "So this is it," said Liv, "The big day."

"Yep," affirmed Kaedro, "You guys ready?"

"I hope so," Tristan muttered.

"We're traveling to another dimension to fight an all-powerful being," sighed Kai, "Forgive me if I don't have a 'sunny' outlook."

"Does any of us?" asked Harley.

"Good point."

"Aren't you going to eat anything?" asked Jade.

Harley shrugged. "Don't have much of an appetite."

"Makes sense," said Kai, "Had coffee already, so I'm pretty much done myself."

"Same here," said Liv, "We should just get going, honestly... The sooner we leave, the sooner we get back."

"So we're going now?" asked Kaedro.

"Sounds like it," said Kai.

"Alright, then." The Exo stood up. "Everyone have the gear they want?" The others nodded.

Harley got up. "Let's get to the Hangar."

Everyone else rose as well and headed for the exit. Harley spent most of the walk fiddling with his armor. "Think we'll get out of this alive, Prism?"

"I think that 'alive' is the bare minimum we should shoot for," his Ghost replied.

"Yeah…"

"Howdy," came the cheerful voice of Amanda Holliday, "Ace! It's been awhile. Glad to hear you're doin' better."

"Thanks, Amanda."

The Shipwright nodded. "So what can I do for you folks?"

"Could you have our ships prepped for launch, please?" asked Jade.

"Certainly. Though I'd better warn ya, Ace... The Vanguard have you on the 'no fly' list."

Harley sighed. "I know. Ikora told me."

"Could you clear him anyway?" asked Kaedro, "This mission is important. We're taking down Oryx."

Amanda whistled. "Damn. You aren't kiddin' around… Sure I can clear him. What're friends for?" She entered something into her datapad. "I just hope the Vanguard don't make note of how many 'exceptions' I make for ya, kiddo."

"Thanks again."

"No problem. Head on down. And good luck."

The Guardians made their way down to the Hangar floor where the Frames were prepping their ships. "Alright," said Kaedro, "I'll see you guys on the Dreadnaught."

The others nodded. Then everyone made their way to his or her ship. Harley spent a moment just taking in the sight of his Wandering Star. Flying had been one of the many things he'd missed over the past few weeks? Months? He wasn't quite sure. Not that it really mattered at the moment. "Ok, Prism. Ready for transmat."

"Transmatting now."

With a flash of light, Harley was sitting in the pilot's seat, eyeing the familiar surroundings of his ship's cockpit. He put on his helmet and hood. "Starting her up." Initializing the takeoff sequence was a comforting action and soon, the Star was speeding out of the Hangar, pointed toward the crisp blue sky.

The passage through warp space was uneventful, though Harley was glad of the familiar sight. He felt the familiar lurch of his ship exiting warp space and instantly the image of Saturn was looming large in his viewscreen. He followed the sweep of the planet's rings until he found the place where a circular hole had been punched out, the Dreadnaught sitting right in the middle. His stomach twisted as the horrible visage of Oryx's ship drew nearer. _Oh Light, we're really doing this._

" _Transmatting in 3, 2, 1."_

There was a flash of light and Harley found himself standing just inside a gaping hole in the side of the ship. Further in, he saw a crashed Cabal ship with the Cabal and Hive engaged in battle on all sides. Barely a minute later, there were a series of faint zaps as the others transmatted in.

"Well… here we are," said Jade.

"Why is there a Cabal ship inside the Dreadnaught?" asked Harley.

"Skyburners," said Liv, "They breached the hull to create a beachhead. Not sure how well that's working out."

"Delta, do you remember where we found the portal when we were here the first time?" asked Jade.

" _Yes! I stored the file just in case it became useful later. And it did!"_

"Great. Could you direct us, please?"

" _Absolutely!"_

The Guardians followed Delta's directions deeper into the Dreadnaught. They passed through the Mausoleum and took a few winding paths and bridges until they came into the Court of Oryx area. A short hallway let out onto a platform upon which they saw the portal frame. Six statues lined the hallway, three on each side.

"Ok, we found the portal," said Kaedro, "Any ideas on how we open it?"

"We learned when we stole information from the Cabal that the statues control the ruptures," answered Jade, "We just have to figure out how to activate them."

"Look down there," said Harley. He pointed off to the right, where a glowing black orb hovered. "What _is_ that?"

"A Hive Tomb Husk," said Jade immediately, "According to Toland's journal, they can be used to open doors. Kaedro and I used them before to escape the Temple of Crota."

"There's one on this side too!" blurted Liv, pointing down to the left.

"Maybe that's how we open the portal," said Tristan.

"It's worth a shot," said Kaedro, "They're about all we have to go on." He jogged over to the one on the right, picking it up. Liv grabbed the left one, then the two Hunters brought the Tomb Husks to the first two statues. The Tomb Husks disappeared, but nothing happened. "Huh. Maybe we had the wrong idea."

A few moments later, the Husks reappeared. "Let's try the same side this time," suggested Liv. They picked up the Tomb Husks and tried again, with the same results.

"Maybe we're barking up the wrong tree," said Kai.

"Or maybe the combination isn't right," reasoned Tristan, "They probably have to be put in in a certain way."

"We'll keep trying…" said Kaedro doubtfully. And they did. They tried back to front, middle first, diagonally across. Nothing worked. Then Liv got the idea to try both on the same statue. The Tomb Husks disappeared and the statue glowed with a pale green light.

"Ok. So both have to go to the same one," said Harley, "That must mean there're more. Let's split up. Me, Kai, and Tristan will go right. Kaedro, Liv, and Jade can go left."

Kai shrugged. "Sounds good to me."

The others nodded their agreement, then split up to venture off. That's when it became clear that other factors would be coming into play. Every time one of them grabbed a Tomb Husk, barriers would appear to bar them from the statues. The barriers could be taken down by shooting at them, but they were also under attack by the Taken, who constantly warped in. And then they found out the hard way that both Tomb Husks would have to be at the statue at the same time, or they'd be forced to try again.

Overall, the whole exercise was more annoying than they'd first thought, but it also wasn't too challenging. Soon enough, all of the statues were charged and the rupture opened. They ran down the hallway and jumped up to the portal, now swirling with a starry blackness. Liv, Jade, Tristan, and Kaedro ran through with no problem, but Harley stopped right before he could pass through, causing Kai to nearly knock him over.

"What's your problem, Hayden?" she demanded.

"I… um…"

"Oh for the love of Light."

Harley felt a hard shove and the next thing he knew, he was falling through the portal. He squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the Darkness to take hold of him. When nothing happened, he opened his eyes to find himself standing in a different section of the Dreadnaught. He let out a sigh of relief that he hoped wasn't audible to the others.

"Alright, let's keep going," said Kai.

They headed down the hallway at the other end of the room, following the passage out into a huge space with platforms that swung like pendulums. Crossing them was fairly straightforward, but the next room was a bit harder. Tombships moved slowly through the space, crisscrossing the room. To get across, they had to stand on top of them, jumping from one to the next before it disappeared. Once they made it through, they entered another chamber. At the front was a host of Knights and Acolytes kneeling in front of a shadowy portal. A large circular plate sat in the center.

Kai raised her gun to shoot the Hive, but Harley grabbed her wrist. "Hold on."

"Why?"

"They haven't noticed us yet and something's telling me there's more to this than meets the eye."

The group moved slowly into the middle. "You're right," said Jade, "Look."

On either side was a misty room in the middle of which was a very familiar sight. "Totems," said Kaedro. The members of Fireteam Calypso turned to look at him. "When we were in Crota's Throneworld, we found these totems like the ones in those rooms. They do something bad if someone's not standing on them at all times."

"Great," said Kai, "So one person will have to stand there on each side while the rest of us… do what, exactly?"

"I think we can assume that more enemies will be spawning in," said Jade, "It's probably smarter to have two people on each side."

"Then what do the other two do?" asked Liv.

"I'm guessing something with that middle plate," said Harley, "It looks like the plate we used to summon the bridge in Crota's Throneworld."

"Maybe we have to keep the Hive away from it," suggested Tristan.

"Let's try it out," said Kaedro, "Who's going where?"

"Tristan and I can go to the right," said Harley.

"Kaedro and I will go to the left," said Jade.

"Then Kai and I will watch the middle," said Liv.

"Sounds good," said Kaedro, "Let's go."

They split off to go to their various locations. "I'm seeing a weird orb in front of this room," said Harley.

"Same here," said Kaedro, "Do we grab it?"

"We probably have to," said Jade.

"Alright," said Harley, "Grabbing it." As soon as he touched the orb, it vanished, spawning a radius of light around him, kind of like when he used the Aegis in the Vault of Glass. "What the hell?!"

" _It doesn't matter!"_ said Prism, " _Just get to the totem!"_

"Right!" He ran down into the room, coming to a stop on the totem plate. Hive started shooting from both the ground and the walkways above. Harley and Tristan were hard pressed to keep them at bay. He used his sniper rifle to take down a Knight and right after it was killed, the strange aura flashed and stopped moving with him. "What happened?!"

"I think it passed to me!" said Tristan. Harley turned and saw the Warlock was right. The circular aura was now moving with him.

" _Harley there's something else!"_ said Prism, " _There's a strange form of energy surrounding you. I'm not sure what it is, but it seems to match the energy on the central plate. You have to get over there!"_

"Ok," said Harley, "Guys, I'm coming to the center! Someone should switch with me to keep the Hive off Tristan!"

" _Coming!"_ said Liv. Harley ran toward the middle room, passing the other Hunter on the way. When he reached the center platform, he saw that Kai and Kaedro had switched. He stepped onto the plate and saw it light up underneath him.

"Looks like we're doing something right!" said Kaedro.

" _You are! The runes next to the doorway are decrypting!"_ said Jyn.

"Right," said Harley, shooting down the Hive that appeared on the high ledges "Guys, if you see the aura move to someone else, you gotta switch with us in the center to decrypt the doorway!" Sounds of agreement echoed back through the comms.

" _I'm coming to the center,"_ said Tristan.

" _Same here!"_ called Jade.

"Leaving!" said Kaedro.

The process continued on a loop. Each time someone lost the aura, they ran to the center to decrypt the doorway before switching again with the next person. The Hive never stopped coming, with Thrall streaming from the doorway and Knights and Wizards spawning on the upper levels. But Harley was glad to say their team didn't break down, never once losing their communication or level heads. Soon, all of the runes along the doorway were lit and the Guardians watched as the doorway cleared.

"Nice job, everyone," said Kaedro, "I'd _like_ to say the worst is behind us, but I'm pretty sure it's just started."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing the raids is always exhausting. Still, I'm excited because we're really close to the end of this story. Also, for those of you who are interested, you can find artwork of some of the Chasing Fate characters on my twitter and instagram :)
> 
> Keep your eyes up, Guardians!
> 
> \- TheWolfParadox


	23. Dethroned

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The storm, previously on the horizon, has arrived, plunging the system into chaos. The City is in more danger than ever as new enemies arise in the Plaguelands and old ones return from the Deep. Technology running rampant. A father with a score to settle. There is only one solution: divide and conquer. But sometimes even the Sky can fall to the Deep.

**"I will go on forever. I will understand everything. There is only one path and that is the path that you make. But you can make more than one path. Break your cell's bars. Make a new shape, make the shape from its path, find your cell's bars, break out of the bars, find a shape, make the shape from its path, eat the light, eat the path." - L: Wormfood**

* * *

Kaedro had been right. Their journey had only gotten more difficult from that point. Each encounter seemed to require more coordination than the last. They took on a colossal Knight using three different plates and the only reason they didn't die was because Jade had noticed the runes. And because they'd all had the common sense to take cover when the giant sphere of light had appeared.

Once they'd gotten past the Knight, they had to find their way through a dark confusing labyrinth. They kept close together and though it took a while, they found their way through. The room after the maze had them fighting a massive Ogre, which they got through by largely remaining in cover. Three of them died to the sheer amount of Thrall and Acolytes, but luckily the others were able to get them up quickly. The only really bad moment was when Taken had started appearing, causing Harley to almost lose his nerve. Fortunately, his team cleared them all pretty fast. Once the Ogre was dead, they ran out into a large open area, following one of Oryx's probes. They jumped between platforms and overall it wasn't so bad except for the parts of the wall that moved like pistons and could easily launch an unsuspecting Guardian into the boundless void below.

From there, they found their way into a huge chamber with no walls. Inside the chamber were six different platforms in two lines. The middlemost platforms were a bit higher than the other four and hovering above them were two gigantic Wizards. They fanned out to investigate the surroundings, but Harley barely had time to take anything in before his vision was overcome in shades of grey and white as though the color had been leached from the world.

The contrast between shades made his head hurt, the black appeared like a void and the white shone harshly against all else. Harley looked down at his hands and nearly cried out. His limbs appeared insubstantial, a mere outline as though he was no longer fully there. Had his dreams bled into reality? He sank to his knees, unable to tear his horrified gaze away from his ghostly hands. He sucked in breath after breath in rapid succession, until all he could hear was the air whooshing in and out of his lungs. Voices rang out in the distance, calling his name, but it was as though they were speaking through deep water. Faint and far away.

A pair of hands came down on his shoulders and he flinched away. He dragged his eyes away from his hands and was met with the black and white high contrast image of Kai kneeling in front of him. "Hayden."

"Wha- where are the others?"

"They're around. This room is pretty big... We didn't know where you were. It's hard to spot you."

"What happened to me, Kai?" he asked in a small voice, "Am… am I not real anymore?"

The Titan shook her head. "Could I be touching you if you weren't real? Idiot."

"But then why am I… like this?"

"Wrong person to ask, buddy. Come on." She stood up and gave him a pointed look. Harley got to his feet and followed her back to where the others were.

"Ace?" Kaedro sounded uncertain. "That you?"

"It's me."

The other Hunter reached out to place a hesitant hand on Harley's arm. "What happened?"

Kai answered for him. "No idea. We were hoping you or Wrythal had an idea."

"I might," said Jade, a frown in her tone, "This could be one of the mechanics of Oryx's Throneworld… A rule we have to follow in order to finish this. Do you notice anything different?"

Harley shook his head. "Everything just looks weird... Like the contrast was dialed up."

"Hmm. Well, I'm sure it'll make itself apparent eventually."

"Jade, what if I'm _stuck_ like this?"

"Don't worry. Whatever it is will probably clear up once we leave the Ascendant Realm."

Harley nodded even though he didn't quite believe her. "Who are those Wizards?"

Jade glanced back over her shoulder at the towering Wizards on the middle platforms and shivered slightly. "Tristan and I are pretty sure they're the Deathsinger daughters of Oryx. Ir Anûk and Ir Halak."

"Huh," mused Kaedro, "I think I might've seen them before?"

" _What?_ " exclaimed Jade and Tristan simultaneously.

"When Liv and I infiltrated Crota's funeral to steal his soul, they were there."

"Oh _yeah_ ," said Liv, "I remember that."

"Why do they look like they're inside of bubbles?" asked Harley.

"Some kind of shielding," answered Jade, "I'm guessing we won't be able to do a thing to them until the shields are gone."

"Right," affirmed Kaedro, "Well, there're four unoccupied plates and I'm betting that based on previous experience, we'll have to stand on them."

"All at once?" inquired Tristan.

"Probably… It's been that kind of day."

"What about the two extra people?" asked Kai.

"They can just help out wherever's needed. Alright… Ace, I'm gonna be at the front right one so why don't you stick around there. Until we find out why you're like that, I don't wanna risk anything. Everyone else can take their pick."

A few moments later, everyone was standing at their respective plates.

"Ok," said Kaedro, "3, 2, 1, go!"

Harley watched as they all jumped up onto the plates. Instantly, one of the Deathsingers began glowing a violent red. _That can't be good._ Then he looked up and noticed a series of platforms forming a path around the plates. Following his instincts, he jumped up next to Kaedro, using his plate to get onto the first one.

"Ace, what're you doing?!"

"A bunch of platforms just appeared! I'm gonna follow them!"

He started jumping along the platforms, from one to the other, around the room until he wound up above Tristan's platform, which was opposite Kaedro's.

"Guys, the effect's gone but there're no more platforms!"

" _Those Deathsingers are still shielded,"_ said Jade, " _Maybe you have to break the shield."_

"It's worth a try. Question is: which plate do I jump to?"

" _The glowing one,"_ replied Jade just as Kai said, " _The one that's not glowing."_

"That didn't help!"

" _If it's glowing, that could be its way of telling you to jump to that one! Like a signal."_

"Ok. I guess I can see that… Kai?"

" _It's glowing red,"_ said the Titan, " _Red is_ never _a good color in situations like this."_

"Good point… I'm going with Kai's idea!"

Jade sighed. " _Fine. I just hope you're right…"_

Harley inhaled, then jumped down to land on the not-glowing plate. This was obviously the right move, because as soon as he did, the air around him lit up in a circular aura, not unlike the ones they'd used to open the doorway in the first room.

"Nice job Ace!" said Liv, "Her shield's down!"

"Great! Everyone get inside my shield-thing!"

The others leaped off their plates and grouped up next to him, shooting at the unshielded Deathsinger for all that they were worth. It was only a matter of time before she unleashed an awful shriek and disintegrated in front of them. There was a blinding flash and Harley saw the aura had been taken away.

"Um… so this happened," said Liv. Harley turned and saw that it was now she who appeared insubstantial and wraithlike.

"One down, one to go," said Kai, "I'm guessing we have to take her down the same way."

"Probably," said Jade.

"Ok. Then Hayden, why don't you take Liv's spot and the rest of us can just do what we did last time?"

"Sounds good," said Liv, "Except I have no idea what Ace did last time."

"When the plates are activated, a bunch of platforms will appear in the air," said Harley, "You have to jump around them until you reach the last one, then jump down onto the Deathsinger's plate."

"Right. Got it. Let's roll."

The group dispersed to their original positions, with the exception of the two Hunters, and the sequence began again. Like the last time, they pulled it off and soon the other Deathsinger was gone as well.

"Awesome," huffed Liv, "So did we do it? Are we done?"

"No," responded Jade, "We haven't faced Oryx yet."

"Look," said Kaedro, "There's one of his probes."

Harley followed the Hunter's gesture down to the end of the walkway, where a bouncing orb floated in the air.

"Should we… approach it?" asked Tristan haltingly.

"We probably have to," said Harley. He started walking forward.

"I have a bad feeling about this…" said Kai.

Harley approached the probe, stopping when he was only a few feet away. The probe disappeared in a flash. "Ok…?" He leaped back in alarm as a giant hand grabbed the edge of the platform and an all too familiar figure pulled itself up.

Harley found himself staring up at a supersized Oryx, who was so enormous that he could probably crush all six of them in one fist. His heart was pounding so hard that it blocked out all other sounds. He was completely paralyzed by fear, unable to move a muscle. Someone grabbed his arm and pulled him backward.

"Hayden, snap out of it!"

Harley felt something impact the side of his helmet, causing his head to snap to the side. He blinked and looked around, examining his arms and legs.

"You didn't have to slap him, Kai," admonished Jade.

" _Someone_ had to get him moving. Now let's go. We have a god to kill."

What ensued was the most confusing, fear-inducing stretch of Harley's life so far. So much so that he barely had time to register anything before he was hit with something else. It started with Oryx slamming his fist down on one of the plates. Then the whole situation disintegrated into madness.

Oryx was towering above them on the side of the platform, Taken were constantly warping in, people were jumping on the hidden platforms, Ogres were spawning, shields were forming, and everyone was yelling nonstop. Directions, accusations, and exclamations flew through the comms at top volume.

They were moving continuously: sometimes on the plates, sometimes grouped up in the center, sometimes shooting at Oryx, sometimes dodging attacks in a strange misty room. Then, when they were grouped together shooting at Oryx, he suddenly disappeared, warping to the middle. They turned and waited for his chest cavity to open up before going at him with all they had left. Bullets were flying, ammo synths were being exchanged, and nearly everyone was shouting. Light flashed violently as Oryx clawed at his chest. The cavity inside him exploded in a violent burst and his form stilled, drifting away toward Saturn in the distance.

The Guardians stopped, their guns falling to their sides as they watched the remains of the Taken King float away into space. Harley felt himself collapse back onto the ground, his hands shaking as he stared at the sniper rifle he still held. "Holy shit…" he whispered.

"YES!" cheered Liv, "WE DID IT! IN YOUR FACE, ORYX! YOU SUCK!"

"Woohoo!" Kaedro exclaimed, joining in, "We did it!"

"We did it!" yelled Jade.

Soon all three of them were jumping, their hands on each other's shoulders.

"Holy shit," Harley repeated, "I… I can't believe it. He's really _dead_."

"Damn right he is," affirmed Kai, "That's what he gets for messing with Guardians."

"I don't… What do we even _do_ now?"

"We go back to the Tower like the damn heroes we are," boasted Kaedro, "Then we get drunk."

"You have my support!" called Liv, "Let's fly!"

"Delta, will we have any problems getting our ships out here?" asked Jade.

" _Nope! The signal is clear and your ships are on the way!"_

"Excellent," approved Kai, "I'm looking forward to taking a break from all this nonsense."

"You're telling me," sighed Kaedro, "I never thought I'd say this, but I've _missed_ doing normal missions."

"Me too," agreed Tristan.

Even if he didn't verbalize it, Harley couldn't agree more with the sentiment. Ever since he was revived, the only missions he'd been on were ones where the fate of the world/solar system/galaxy was at stake. It would be nice to experience what Guardians usually did when there wasn't widespread war against all-powerful deities. Although, the Darkness might well be included in that list. Harley still wasn't sure what exactly it was, only that he hadn't come across anything resembling it so far. Not as an entity, at least.

He was jolted out of his thoughts by his Ghost. " _Harley. The Star is here."_

He blinked and looked around. Kai, Tristan, and Kaedro were gone. "Where'd the others go?"

"Their ships already came," said Liv, "Let's go."

Harley got to his feet. "Ok. I'm ready, Prism."

"Transmatting." Instantly, Harley was back inside his ship. He sighed tiredly. "I think I'll just use autopilot. Setting course for Earth…" He input the coordinates and leaned back in his chair. "How long since we left?" " _Approximately 6 hours and 17 minutes."_ "Really? Damn." " _At least it'll be over soon."_ "True." They entered warp space. "It'll be good to see Rae and the others again," said Harley, "It's been a while." " _Yes, it has."_ "I hope they're having good luck, whatever they're doing." " _So do I, Harley. So do I."_

Harley trudged through the Hall of Guardians, stifling a yawn. They'd just gotten back to the Tower and all he wanted to do was rest. But that was off the table until he gave the mission report.

"You know," said Prism, "If you hadn't insisted on giving the report, you could be relaxing with the others right now. Or taking a shower. Traveler knows you could use one."

"The Dreadnaught's not exactly the nicest smelling place, I know," sighed Harley, "Look, the sooner I get this over with, the happier we'll all be." He entered the Hub.

"Ace!" exclaimed Cayde, "Good to see ya, kid!"

"Hey… I've got some good news."

Ikora arched an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"This morning, Kaedro, Jade, Fireteam Calypso, and I flew to the Dreadnaught and defeated-" He took a breath. "Oryx. For good."

The Vanguard looked astonished.

"Congratulations, Harley Hayden," said Eris, "You have put an end to Oryx's incessant crusade through the cosmos. The Taken will cease to spread… At least for now."

"Um, thanks…" said Harley.

"Damn, kid!" said Cayde, "You're puttin' me to shame!"

"I couldn't agree more," concurred Ikora, "...I know I sought to keep you out of the field, but I daresay you proved me wrong." She gave him a warm smile. "Well done."

"Thank you."

"I would like to say the same," said Zavala, "You and your team have accomplished an unprecedented feat. While I'm sure you are eager to return to the field, I'm giving you and your friends the next few days off. What you do with them is up to you, however, I strongly urge you not to take on missions during that time."

Harley nodded. "Understood. And thanks, sir."

Zavala nodded back. "Dismissed, Hayden."

Harley left the Vanguard and made for the mess hall, where he encountered the rest of his friends sharing a drink. As he approached the table, Kaedro looked up. "Ace! _Please_ don't tell me something's wrong."

Harley's lips twitched and he shook his head. "Not unless you think getting a few days off is wrong."

"Absolutely not. I just got this weird feeling of deja vu when you walked in. Reminded me of after we beat Crota. There we were, having a drink just like this and you waltz in with news about Oryx."

"Right…" Harley rubbed the back of his neck. "I remember." He sat down in between Kaedro and Kai, who slid him the bottle.

"Different story this time though," said Kaedro cheerfully, "A vacation. Just what the doctor ordered. Or I assume they would if I wasn't a Guardian and visited a doctor regularly."

"I thought the Tower medical staff did semi-regular checkups," said Jade.

Kaedro nodded. "They do, but how pointless is _that_? I mean, we're _Guardians_! Anything that happens to us gets healed and if something kills us, our Ghosts bring us back. That's why no one goes to those."

"I do," mumbled Jade and Tristan in unison.

"Ok, no one besides you two."

"We can't be the _only_ ones," protested Jade, "Harley, you go to the appointments, right?"

"...Sure, yeah. I definitely do. Because I definitely knew those were a thing."

Jade looked between Kai and Liv.

"Don't look at me," said Liv, "Why would I go get a checkup when I could be catching up on City shows?"

"Medical exams are pointless," stated Kai, "And stupid."

The Guardians continued to drink and chat for another couple hours before heading back to their quarters. Harley gave a contented sigh as he stepped out of the shower. He normally dreaded going to sleep, but things had changed since the night before. Oryx was dead and would never be coming back. While he wasn't exactly sure what repercussions there would be for the Taken King's death, he might actually get to sleep in peace for the first time since he got out of the med bay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're coming up fast on the end now. The remaining chapters have been double-checked and are ready to go. I'll be posting them over the next few days.
> 
> Keep your eyes up, Guardians!
> 
> \- TheWolfParadox


	24. Reconvene

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The storm, previously on the horizon, has arrived, plunging the system into chaos. The City is in more danger than ever as new enemies arise in the Plaguelands and old ones return from the Deep. Technology running rampant. A father with a score to settle. There is only one solution: divide and conquer. But sometimes even the Sky can fall to the Deep.

**"So I will prepare a book, which is a map to a weapon. And my vanquisher will read that book, seeking the weapon, and they will come to understand me, where I have been and where I was going. And then they will take up my weapon, and they will use it, they will use that weapon, which is all that I am." - Verse 5:9 - I'll Make Sure**

* * *

Harley dreamt that he was wrapped in icy chains. Oryx was in front of him, offering to free him through the powers of the Darkness and every time he refused, the chains tightened. Oryx made his offer again, but the chains had become so tight that Harley couldn't say or do anything to refuse. Oryx laughed and summoned the dreadful orb of Darkness. " **Your efforts are wasted, Child of Light. All falls to the Deep in the end."**

Harley shot awake only to find that he still couldn't move. The chains were like a vice, locking him in place so the Darkness could overtake him once more. He looked down and breathed a sigh of relief. Apparently, whilst dreaming, he'd managed to become entangled in his sheets so thoroughly that they'd formed a cocoon around him. He struggled free of his bedding and shivered. Why was it so cold?

His gaze settled on the window across the room. He'd cracked it open the night before, obviously forgetting to close it before going to bed. He felt somewhat calmer, knowing that there was a rational explanation for the icy chains from his dream. But what he couldn't explain was why the dream had occurred in the first place. Oryx was dead with no way back. He shouldn't be having these dreams anymore!

"Agh!" he yelled in aggression, kicking the closest thing to him - one of his boots. The garment flew across the room and impacted the closet door with a loud _thunk_.

Prism's eye lit up. "Harley? What's going on?"

Harley rubbed his face. "Nothing, Prism. I'm fine." He sighed. "What time is it?"

"5:22."

"Wonderful." _At least I got closer to a normal hour this time._ "I'm gonna get dressed."

"Are you sure you don't want to try and get more sleep?" His Ghost sounded concerned.

"I don't need more sleep. Obviously, I'm not tired anymore or I wouldn't be getting up yet."

"Your attitude would suggest otherwise," Prism muttered.

Harley pretended not to hear her, opting to find something to wear. He ultimately decided to go for comfort, grabbing a pair of black sweatpants and a heather grey V-neck from Fyr that read 'What Happens on Venus Stays on Venus.' He put on his sneakers and made his way out.

"I don't understand why you've been up so early lately," Prism remarked, "You always slept in before."

Harley shrugged. "Maybe I'm turning over a new leaf."

His Ghost scoffed lightly. "Sure... I know that's not it, though."

"Look, would you please just drop it? _Please_? It really doesn't matter."

Prism sighed. "Whatever you say."

" _Thank_ you… Now, do you know if Rae and the others are coming back today?"

Prism's shell mimicked a shrug. "According to Kaedro, they should be if their mission was successful."

"Awesome. It'll be nice to see them again."

"I'm sure it will... Not to mention they'll be back just in time for a certain special day."

Harley was confused. "What do you mean?"

"You can't seriously- Ok. You know what? Nevermind. If you don't know, I think I'll keep it a surprise."

"Ok..."

He grabbed a cup of coffee and headed back out of the mess hall to the plaza. A sheet of fog sat over the City, masking it in a sea of white. Harley leaned on the Tower railing and stared out at the lightening sky. Thin rays of sun peeked over the horizon, causing the fog over the City to shimmer. The sight was one Harley felt privileged to see, as he hadn't been one to get up early prior to Phobos.

As the day slowly began and more vendors and staff got up and about, Harley didn't have to wait long before he was joined by Kaedro and Jade. "Hey, Ace," said Kaedro.

"Hey, guys… Did either of you hear from the others?"

Both Guardians shook their heads. "Nothing," said Jade, "But who knows? They might be on their way right now."

Harley sighed. "Yeah. Assuming their mission didn't fail."

"It's no use dwelling on that," said Prism, "It won't make you feel better."

Kaedro nodded. "She's right, Ace. Let's talk about something else."

"Like what?" asked Harley.

"Well for starters, you've been up a lot earlier these past few days. What's up with that?"

Harley groaned. "You sound like Prism. Why does it have to be something more than just not being tired?"

"Not saying it does. Just trying to make conversation."

"Hm."

The Guardians fell silent, staring out at the City and watching the fog gradually clear up. In certain cases, words weren't necessary. Harley found himself enjoying the peace and quiet.

Suddenly, Prism spoke up, shattering the silence. "I was just alerted by Amanda," she said, "She told me we should go to the Hangar."

Harley sucked in a breath. There was only one reason the Shipwright would call them to the Hangar. "Let's go." Jade and Kaedro nodded in agreement.

The three of them set off for the Hangar. Harley had to hold himself back from sprinting down the hallway and jumping the railing. They entered the space just in time to see four Guardian ships docking.

"They're here!" yelled Kaedro.

Harley watched with bated breath as four figures transmatted out of the ships. "Let's go," said Kaedro. They hurried down to the Hangar floor.

"Guys!" said Harley.

Rae was the first to spot them. "Ace!" She hurried over, pulling him into a tight hug. Then she punched him in the shoulder.

"Ow! Why?"

"For being an idiot and worrying us to death. Duh."

"She's correct," said Bazzle, "It was...incredibly difficult to focus on the mission at hand."

"Hey guys!" exclaimed Fyr, "Look what I got!" He held up a sword, grinning proudly. Harley noticed the weapon bore the insignia of a tree at the base of its blade, and that it glowed as though it was in the process of being forged.

"Yeah, we all got one," said Rae, "You're looking at the next generation of Iron Lords."

" _What?_ " said Kaedro.

"Yup," said Rogue, "Saladin made us all Iron Lords. It was crazy."

"We have _so_ much to talk about," said Jade.

"Let's go to the mess hall," Kaedro suggested, "Then we can all sit down."

"More importantly: food," said Fyr.

"Sure. That too."

"Amanda!" called Rae, "We good to go?"

"Yep!" the Shipwright hollered back, "Welcome back!"

The newly reunited Chasers left the Hangar and walked to the mess hall, where the away group grabbed a bunch of food before sitting down. "Ok," said Kaedro, "Who's going first?" The others exchanged a few looks.

"You guys," said Rae, "We know more about what you were doing than you knew about us."

"Alright." Kaedro looked from Jade to Harley. "Should…? Yeah, I'll start. So the day after you guys left, Ace and I flew out to Phobos to investigate that Cabal signal. We found out they were under attack from the Taken, which are other lifeforms that Oryx corrupted with the Darkness... I found info in the base that Oryx's ship was what had taken out the entire Awoken fleet. It's called the Dreadnaught and it's parked in Saturn's rings. But before all that, Ace fell through one of the rifts that were all over the place. Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, you never told us what happened after you went through the rift."

Harley shifted uncomfortably, crossing his arms. "You know what happened."

"No, Kaedro's right," said Jade, "We only know what the end result was. Only you know the rest."

Harley stared at the table. "Harley, I can't explain this for you," said Prism, "I wish I could, but I wasn't there."

Harley sighed. "Fine… I fell through the rift and wound up on the Dreadnaught. I wasn't there very long before the Hive started attacking me. They just kept coming... Soon, I was cut off from the rift I'd gone through, but I knew I couldn't let Prism fall into their hands, so I threw her back through. Instead of killing me, the Hive took me prisoner. They put me in a cell… I don't know how long, but long enough that my Light was almost completely drained. Then these two Knights came and brought me to Oryx and… well, you know the rest."

The others nodded, solemn looks on their faces. Kaedro cleared his throat. "Anyway… Cayde convinced me that the only way I could help Ace was by getting onto the Dreadnaught and shutting down its weapon. He sent me to the Cosmodrome to pick up a stealth drive so I could get on board. I brought it back and Amanda installed it in Eris' ship. While that was happening, Cayde asked me to track down Tevis - a Nightstalker - who'd gone missing on Venus... It turns out he'd ended up in the Black Garden without his Ghost."

Harley looked at Kaedro in surprise. He hadn't known about that. _I wonder if it's different now that the Heart is gone._

"I got into the Garden but the Vex had already killed him. But I was able to retrieve his bow and harness the Void."

"Shit man," said Rogue, "You're a Nightstalker now?" He shook his head. "Going up against those guys in the Crucible sucks."

"Yeah… After that, Jade and I used Eris' ship to get onto the Dreadnaught. We disabled its weapon and set up a transmat zone. This other fireteam, Fireteam Calypso flew in and helped us take down a Cabal tank. Then we went looking for Ace but only found traces of a dead comm signal. We regrouped back at the Tower and went on a recon mission the next day to get info from a Skyburner ship the Cabal crashed into the Dreadnaught." He looked at Jade. "You wanna take it from there?"

The Warlock nodded. "By using the information, we learned that Oryx was in the center of the Dreadnaught and the only way to get there was by using a Hive rupture. We conducted some scans and figured out that only Ascendant beings could use ruptures. Then a nearby rupture opened and that... that was the first time we saw Harley since Phobos."

Harley felt her eyes on him and glanced over. She looked away. "Um, anyway, Kaedro and I went back to the Chamber of Night to steal a piece of Crota's crystal so we'd pass as Ascendant."

"Cool!" said Fyr.

"We ran into Harley again, but Kaedro was able to knock him out and get him back to the Tower. Then we found out that the crystal was empty, so Cayde sent Fireteam Calypso to steal cloaking technology from Rasputin so that Kaedro and Liv, the leader of Fireteam Calypso, could use the crystal to steal Crota's soul."

"You stole a Hive God's _soul_?" said Rae incredulously.

"Yep," said Kaedro, "Liv and I went back into the Hellmouth and snuck into Crota's fortress to infiltrate his funeral. We pulled it off, but our invisibility gave out and the Taken started attacking. Luckily, Eris was able to teleport us out. Then, Liv, Jade, and I used Crota's soul to open the rupture and get us to Oryx. We fought him and nearly killed him, but he used the Darkness to Take himself."

"Damn," said Rae.

"So he peaced out to his Throneworld?" asked Fyr.

"Yeah." Kaedro sounded surprised that Fyr remembered how Hive God deaths worked. "We knew we had to take him down for good, but we wanted Ace healed first. A Warlock named Asher Mir was able to work out a way to bring him back, so we spent a few weeks healing him and then he was in a coma for a month before he woke up."

Harley nodded. "Yeah. Then I was stuck in the med bay for a few more days. When I was released, the Vanguard didn't want me going on a mission right away, so we took a trip into the City."

"That's good to hear," said Bazzle, "Did you enjoy yourselves?"

"I bet there was a bar fight," said Rogue.

Kaedro shook his head. "There wasn't a fight and it was definitely better than the _last_ trip we took, but we can't seem to go anywhere without running into _some_ kinda trouble."

Rogue nodded. "Say no more."

"Anyway," continued Harley, "We left for the Dreadnaught a few days later, fought our way through the Ascendant Realm, and here we are." The others nodded.

"Nice, nice," said Rae.

"I wish _I_ could've been there," complained Fyr, "That sounded _sick_."

"Enough about us," said Harley, "What were you guys up to over at Felwinter Peak?"

"Ok," began Rae, "Basically the House of Devils dug up this thing called SIVA. SIVA is self-replicating nanotech that can make almost anything. It was invented during the Golden Age, but the Iron Lords rediscovered it during the City Age. Only it turned against them, killing nearly all of them, and had to be sealed away. More recently, the Devils uncovered it and started augmenting themselves with it. A group of them captured the Peak, so we went up and found Sepiks Prime trying to break into the Iron Temple. We stopped them, but Sepiks teleported away and the Fallen started taking down the sensor grid. Salad figured they knew where SIVA was, so we went to the Cosmodrome to stop them. We couldn't fix the sensor grid, but we pulled the logs and found out that the Fallen started producing SIVA."

"So what'd you do then?" asked Kaedro.

"We regrouped back at the Iron Temple, where Lord Saladin and Shiro established a base," said Bazzle.

"Yeah and it's totally sweet!" said Fyr, "There's cool fire pits and Saladin has pet wolves and-"

" _Anyway_ ," said Rae, "Later we went to take out the Fallen's artillery in a military bunker in the Plaguelands. We took down the shield generators and destroyed the guns. Shiro brought in backup to secure the area while we returned to the Temple. Sometime after that, we flew out to Mars near Clovis Bray where we found undisturbed SIVA prototypes that Shiro and a Cryptarch named Tyra Karn used to find a weakness in the Fallen's hold on SIVA. Pretty sure that happened while you were fighting Oryx the first time."

Kaedro nodded. "That sounds about right."

"Yeah, well, later we used what we found to take down SIVA long enough to enter the replication chamber. When we got inside, SIVA puppeted the dead Iron Lords against us, but we were able to use Felwinter's Battle Axe to kill them. Then I set the complex to self-destruct and we got out of there as fast as we could."

"So you ended SIVA just like that?" asked Harley.

"Yep."

"But… that only accounts for some of the time you were gone. What about the rest?"

Rae shrugged. "We hunted down Sepiks and ended him. They'd also brought Tanniks back to life, so we killed him again, too. Then Shiro put us on the trail of some crazy Splicer priest who'd been controlling SIVA."

Bazzle nodded. "Yes. Aksis, Archon Prime. Lord Saladin worried that we alone were not enough to take him, so he and Shiro accompanied us to Aksis' Perfection Complex. It was difficult, but we defeated him in the end."

Harley nodded. "Sounds like a lot."

"All of us have been through a lot," replied Bazzle, "It will do us good to take a break from missions for a few days."

"Speaking of which," said Rae, "We still gotta report to the bosses. C'mon, guys."

Fyr groaned as he stood up. "Whyyyyy?"

"The Vanguard must be updated on the situation," said Bazzle.

"But whyyyyy?" The Titan sighed and walked off.

"We'll see you guys later," said Rae.

"Later," said Kaedro.

"Bye, Rae," said Harley.

Kaedro sighed. "Man, that was a lot of talking… You guys wanna go watch a movie or something?"

"That sounds good," said Jade.

"Sure," said Harley, "Your quarters?"

"Yup."

And with that, the three remaining Guardians rose from the table and walked out of the mess hall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not a whole lot going on in this chapter. The teams had to bring each other up to speed and everyone got to decompress a bit. Final chapter will be out soon, then we'll start moving into Destiny 2 territory ;D
> 
> Keep your eyes up, Guardians!
> 
> \- TheWolfParadox


	25. Many Happy Returns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The storm, previously on the horizon, has arrived, plunging the system into chaos. The City is in more danger than ever as new enemies arise in the Plaguelands and old ones return from the Deep. Technology running rampant. A father with a score to settle. There is only one solution: divide and conquer. But sometimes even the Sky can fall to the Deep.

**"And armed with my past, and my future, and my present, they will** **mantle me, Oryx, the Taken King. They will become me and I will become them, each of us defeating the other, correcting the other, alloying ourselves into one omnipotent philosophy. Thus I will live forever. I'll make sure." - Verse 5:9 - I'll Make Sure**

* * *

The next couple days provided some well-deserved relaxation. Or at least Harley guessed they did for most of the team. And it was true, it felt good to have some time to spend on other activities. They watched movies, played card games, and ate at the Tower ramen shop.

The downside to everything was that Harley still wasn't sleeping. At night, images of Oryx and the Dreadnaught went through his head and he'd always wake up at some obscene hour feeling that much less rested. He didn't know how to make the dreams stop, so the best he could do was try to hide how they were affecting him. But he always seemed to be bouncing between extremes. He was either hypervigilant or spacing out. Irritable or apathetic. And so far, this day was shaping up to be like the others.

He woke up at 4:31, had coffee for breakfast, and waited for his friends to join him. Finally, at around 9, they started rolling in. Rae frowned at him as she grabbed her coffee. "Is that really what you're wearing?"

Harley shrugged. "What's wrong with sweatpants and a hoodie?"

"Nothing. If you're a moody teenager."

Prism sighed. "Give up now, Rae. It's pointless."

"Oh, I know... I feel bad for you."

The rest of the team began showing up and as they did, the conversation grew more lively. Harley looked on with some confusion. Something about how they were acting was off. They kept shooting each other significant looks. At least, he was pretty sure they were significant. On the other hand, he was also extremely tired.

Then Jade got up. "I have to go to the bathroom," she said.

Harley frowned. He couldn't remember Jade ever announcing when she went to the bathroom before. Maybe he hadn't caught it?

Then Rae stood up as well. "I gotta go too."

As the two Warlocks left together, Harley looked at the other Chasers but none of them seemed to have noticed anything.

A few minutes later, Rogue got up. "I'm gonna go, uh, check on my Crucible ranking."

"Ooh! I'll come too!" said Fyr.

"I will join you," said Bazzle, "I just remembered I needed to speak to Commander Zavala."

After the three Guardians were gone, Harley turned to Kaedro. "What was that all about?"

The Exo didn't seem particularly concerned. "What was what?"

"What's up with everyone leaving all at once?"

Kaedro shrugged. "No idea. They must've forgotten they had stuff to do or something."

"I guess…"

"Wanna help me build a card castle?"

"...Why not."

Five minutes into building the castle, Harley stopped. "I don't get it. They should've been back by now. All of them should've been back."

"You wanna look for them?" asked Kaedro.

"Yeah."

The other Hunter got up. "Alright. Is it cool if we make a quick stop in the Hangar first? Amanda was looking at my Sparrow for me."

"Sure."

"Great. Let's go."

Harley rose to his feet and followed the Exo out of the mess hall. They walked through the plaza and into the Hangar entrance before finally coming out into the main space. Harley stopped in his tracks.

The Hangar floor, currently free of ships, had been thoroughly decked out. Brightly colored ribbons hung off the walls and balloons were tied to the railings. A small table was placed in the center with a spherical cake on it, decorated to look like the Traveler. Grouped around the table were the other Chasers and Amanda Holliday, all of whom yelled out, "Surprise!" with huge smiles on their faces.

Harley looked around in bewilderment. "Uh… what?"

"Happy Revival, Harley!" said Prism.

"It's...what?"

Kaedro patted him on the back. "It's the day you were revived, buddy."

"Prism told us it was coming," Jade clarified.

"C'mon," said Kaedro.

Harley let the other Hunter lead him down to where everyone else was waiting. "I'm still not completely sure what's going on."

"We put together a surprise party for you, moron," said Rae, "Now blow out the candle so we can have cake."

Harley blew out the candle to cheers and clapping. As Bazzle cut the cake, he looked to his friends for an explanation. "How- when did you have time to do all this?"

"We talked about it in secret," said Kaedro, "Lots of planning behind your back."

"I… wow." Harley wasn't sure what to say. The surprise party had really thrown him for a loop. Then he tilted his head. "Hang on…"

In the distance, he could hear a series of faint popping. Like explosions. He turned to look out at the City. Fireworks of different sizes and colors shot into the air around the Traveler, bursting bright, even in the sun.

"Ok, how'd you do the fireworks?"

His friends looked confused. "We have fireworks?" said Fyr, "Where?"

"The ones over the City ain't us, Ace," explained Amanda, "Today's a holiday for the people down there. It celebrates the return of Light and hope."

"And it's on the same day I was revived? That's a pretty crazy coincidence."

The Shipwright shook her head. "Not a coincidence. They're celebratin' _because_ of you, Ace. You were the first new Guardian to appear in over six years."

"They're celebrating… me?" The thought made him more than a bit uncomfortable.

"They call it 'Revival Day,'" said Rae with a scoff, "How cheesy is _that_?"

"It's just something you gotta get used to, Ace," said Kaedro, "Guardians by themselves get a lot of attention. But start doing things like killing Crota and surviving the Vault of Glass? You're bound to get noticed."

Rae snorted. "It's worse for you 'cause all you had to do was exist."

"Thanks," said Harley sarcastically.

"Who cares about them anyway? You wanna see your presents, right?"

"You guys got me presents? You really didn't have to."

"Well, we did. That's what friends do. And I'll go first. Here." She shoved a book into his hands.

Harley looked down, reading the brightly colored cover. "'An Idiot's Guide to Saving the Galaxy.'" It made him chuckle. "Thanks, Rae."

"Don't mention it."

"I...also got you a book," said Jade, "I swear it's not just because I'm a Warlock." She handed it to him.

"'Inside the Vault of Glass' by Jaedryth Wrythal. Jade! I didn't know you finished your book!"

Jade blushed. "I did. It took a while. Long nights and all that. Included in that book is all of the information about the Vault there is. The Pahanin Errata, theories, legends, and everything we saw and did while we were there. Look at the inside."

Harley opened the book and felt a warm feeling blossom in his chest. "'Dedicated to Harley Hayden, the person who taught me what it means to be a Guardian'..."

"Oh Traveler," said Amanda, blinking rapidly, "I think I might cry."

"Jade, I don't know what to say... Thank you so much." He pulled the Warlock into a hug.

"Alright!" said Fyr when they separated, "My turn! He ran to the stairs and grabbed what looked like a dark green blanket. He held it up, shaking it out, and Harley saw that it was actually a cloak with a golden tree on the back. "Iron Lord cloak!" Fyr announced, "Boom!"

"Whoa," marveled Harley, "Thanks Fyr!" He fastened the cloak around his shoulders.

"The color suits you," affirmed Jade.

Rae laughed. "Yeah, but it sure as hell doesn't go with your outfit!"

"Shut up," said Harley, "It's my birthday."

"Oh boy, the power's gone to his head," joked Kaedro, "Uh… here's my gift." He handed over a small box that Harley instantly recognized as a deck of cards. Opening it, he shuffled through them, noting how glossy they felt.

"These are great, Kay!"

"I thought about getting you a custom deck, but I figured you'd appreciate the classic design."

"I love them. Guess I'll have to play more poker now, huh?"

"Bet on it."

Harley laughed. Then Bazzle stepped forward. "Hayden, in terms of your gift, Rogue and I took a different route. We both contributed towards custom Sparrow parts, which we brought here so Amanda could build you a new Sparrow. So, this gift is from all three of us."

Amanda grinned and walked over to a lumpy shape that had been stashed off to the side. She pulled the cover off to reveal a maroon Sparrow decorated with hints of bronze. The design was sleek and streamlined. Harley could instantly tell that this was a vehicle meant to go _fast_.

"It looks amazing! Thanks, guys."

"Damn, I'm jealous," remarked Rae. She nudged him. "Looks like I'll have to get you into my SRL matches sometime."

"Sounds like a plan," said Harley.

"Is it cake time?" asked Fyr.

Harley frowned. "I thought you already cut the cake."

"I did," said Bazzle, "But it hasn't been served yet."

"Before we get to cake, there's one last present," Amanda interjected, "It's from Cayde." She tossed something to him.

Harley caught it and brought it closer to inspect. It was a set of Hunter socks. Each pair was covered in a different symbol. Orange guns, blue knives, and purple bows. Harley chuckled. "I'm definitely gonna wear these."

"Please don't," groaned Rae, "Also can we have cake now?"

"Yeah. Let's have cake."

"Woohoo!" yelled Fyr. The cake was passed out and soon the Hangar was left in silence as everyone ate.

Harley made his way over to the edge of the Hangar and sat down, his feet dangling in the air as he ate. "So what did you think?" asked Prism, "Was this a good birthday?"

"Uh, well, I really can't compare it to any others. Y'know, the whole 'forgetting my past' thing…"

Prism rolled her eye. "You know what I mean."

"It was wonderful, Prism... As long as I don't think about the fact that it's also a City holiday."

"I'm sorry I didn't get you anything," said his Ghost.

"Prism, you gave me a second _life_ ," said Harley, "What more could I ask for?"

"I suppose I did…" she said thoughtfully, "And look at us! Look at everything we've done in one year."

Harley nodded. "Escaped Mercury."

"Survived the Vault of Glass."

" _Twice._ "

"Defeated Crota, the scourge of Mare Imbrium."

"Yeah. _And_ his dad."

"Started a fireteam, formed incredible friendships, and never let the odds win out," his Ghost finished, "I'm proud to be your Ghost."

"And I'm privileged to be your Guardian." He paused. "But you know there's more coming, right?"

"There always will be," said Prism, "And when it does, we'll pull through, just like every other time."

Harley nodded. "Yeah. We will."

But deep down, he couldn't shake the warning the Stranger had given him all those days ago. The promise that his skies wouldn't stay clear for long.

" _A war is on the horizon, Hunter. It is a war of many battles and on many different fronts and it will take more from you than anything you have encountered before. I cannot share details but know this… your battle will come in three parts: a truth, a betrayal, and a loss."_


	26. FYI

**You may have noticed that there weren't any notes on the final chapter. That's because I ultimately decided to make them their own "chapter." Mostly due to the fact that I have a few things to cover.**

**First of all, Story 4 is ready to go, but because of the structure, I want to upload it and Story 5 fairly close together. There will be a bit of a break before stories 4 and 5 start coming out as I have a couple of art pieces that need to be finished first. However, there will be less time in between chapters.**

**On the shipping front. You may have noticed that none of my stories have ships in them. This is in large part due to the fact that I'm asexual-aromantic. You will never see any sex scenes in my stories. On the romance side of things, I promise that the Jade/Harley dynamic will be resolved. I find writing romance difficult, but I'm willing to give it my best shot.**

**Thirdly, I'd like to make it clear that I have absolutely no problem with other people using my characters. In fact, I encourage you to use them if you want to and I'd definitely be down to add them to the Chasing Fate community. If you want to write your own shippy stuff, go for it! The only thing I ask is that you let me know, both so I can add it to the community and because I'd be super excited if someone wrote a story about my characters ;D**

**If you'd like more consistent updates involving story progress, a good place to go would be my Twitter ( ArcaneGlitch). I also have a tumblr under the same name and my DMs are always open on any platform.**

**Finally, I run a discord server called Creation Station. If you're a creator, there are plenty of places for sharing ideas and works. If you're not a creator, the server is a great place to hang out with a bunch of friendly people. If you're interested in joining, simply enter the invite code (BFyxyzD)**

**Keep your eyes up, Guardians!**

**\- TheWolfParadox**


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